Nuclear Medicine

Available at Cherry Hill, Edmonds, First Hill and Issaquah facilities. Our board certified physicians and specially trained technologists utilize radioactive isotopes to help diagnose diseases like heart disease and cancer.

Nuclear medicine is a specialty of medical imaging that uses radioactive pharmaceuticals to help detect the presence of disease or injury. Nuclear medicine patients are given a radioactive compound that travels through the body to the specific area being studied. A gamma camera is used to create images that provide information about structure and function of most organ systems in the body.

Swedish offers the following nuclear medicine procedures

  • Bone Studies: Whole Body Scan, 3-Phase Scan with vascular flow, Bone SPECT, Bone Scan multiple areas
  • Cardiac Studies: Myocardial Rest/Stress (2 day pharmaceutical or treadmill or 1 day pharmaceutical or treadmill), Myocardial Perfusion-chest pain, Gated Wall Motion with ejection fraction (MUGA)
  • Pulmonary Studies: Lung VQ Perfusion-ventilation static images, Lung VQ-multiple spects, Lung Perfusion Scan, Lung Ventilation-aerosol, Lung Quantification-perfusion only, Lung Quantification Differential Function (Perfusion/Ventilation)
  • Thyroid Studies: Hyperthyroid Consult, Thyroid Cancer Consult, Thyrogen Injections, Thyroid Cancer Therapy (Thyrogen stimulated or medication withdrawal), Thyroid Cancer Whole Body Scan (medication withdrawal, Thyrogen stimulated, or post treatment), Thyroid Tc99m Scan, Thyroid Scan/Uptake, I-131 Thyroid Cancer Therapy, I-131 Hyperthyroid Therapy
  • Parathyroid Studies: Parathyroid Planar Scan with SPECT, Parathyroid Planar Scan without SPECT, Radiotracer Injection for surgical localization
  • Lymph Node Studies: Melanoma Injection and Scan, Breast Sentinel Node Injection, Breast Sentinel Node Injection and Scan
  • Gastric/Abdominal Studies: Abdominal Scan-Meckels, GI Bleed Scan, Gastric Empty Study 
  • Hepatobiliary/Liver Studies: Liver Imaging (with Gallbladder Ejection Fraction or without Gallbladder Ejection Fraction-bile leak), Liver Imaging with Hopkins Score, Liver SPECT-Hemangioma Imaging, MAA-Liver Mapping
  • Renal/Kidney Studies: Kidney Flow and Function without Lasix, Kidney Scan with Lasix, Kidney Scan without and with Capropril-1 day, Kidney GFR Study
  • Tumor Studies: Tumor Localization Whole Body 2+ days I-123 MIBG, Tumor Localization Whole Body/SPECT 2+ days (Octreoscan)
  • Brain Studies: Brain SPECT, Brain SPECT-Diamox Scan, Brain SPECT-DAT Scan
  • Central Nervous System: Cisternograph/CSF Leak, Cisternograph/CSF Leak with Pledgets, Ventriculo-Peritoneal Shunt
  • Abscess/Infection Studies: Abscess/Infection Localization Whole Body (Gallium or Indium labeled While Blood Cells)
  • Non-Thyroid Therapies: Monoclonal Antibody-Zevalin Therapy, Intra-Arterial Particulate (Y-90) Therapy

What to expect the day of your exam

  • A receptionist will register you and ask you to sign a hospital consent form. Copies of your photo ID and insurance cards will be made.
  • You will be escorted to the nuclear medicine department by your technologist.
  • Most nuclear medicine procedures require an injection or IV placement.

Exam Results

A board certified radiologist with additional advanced training in nuclear medicine will interpret your images and create a report for your doctor. Swedish utilizes PACS and EPIC. All images are digitally archived in your electronic medical record. Reports are sent by internet, fax or electronic record to your doctor. Please call your doctor for results.

Swedish Nuclear Medicine locations and outpatient appointment times