A Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) measurement is carried out to measure how well your kidneys are working.
A small amount of radiation is injected into a vein, usually in your arm. The injection is no more painful than a blood test.
For the majority of patients, there will be a delay of three hours after the injection and then we will take a blood sample from another vein in your arm. For some patients, this blood sample will be taken at 6 hours after injection. The gap between injection and blood sample will be indicated on your letter. If you can, we would like you to leave the department between the injection and blood sample, but please attend for the blood sample at the time given to you by the technician or radiographer.
After the blood sample you will be free to go.
The substances we inject are non-toxic and will not make you feel sick or drowsy. The amount of radiation you will receive is small and your doctors consider that the benefit of you having this test significantly outweigh the small risk from this radiation.
However, for radiation safety reasons from other patients in the department, pregnant individuals and children should not be brought to the appointment unless they are the patient.
After your test you will still have some radioactivity in your body which will leave over time. You will emit a small amount of radiation which will be insignificant for most people around you. However, we ask that you try to avoid prolonged close contact with small children, babies and pregnant individuals for the rest of the day. The injection you will be given will not affect any pets you may have.
There is usually no problem to return to work following the scan. If your work involves radiation or close contact with children or pregnant individuals please ask Nuclear Medicine staff for advice.
Please tell us as soon as possible before the injection if you are pregnant or think that you may be pregnant. All patients between the ages of 10 - 55 years will be asked to complete a form on arrival.
There is no need to interrupt breastfeeding for this test.
As the blood samples will be analysed at a later time, we are unable to tell you the result of the test. The results will be sent to the doctor who requested the test.
If you need an interpreter for your appointment (including BSL) please contact Nuclear Medicine as soon as possible so this can be arranged for you. Family and friends are not legally allowed to interpret for you.
Please be aware that information from your examination may be used for teaching and evaluation purposes. Any information used will be anonymised. Should you not wish for details from your examination to be used in this way, please inform a member of the Nuclear Medicine staff when you attend.
If you have any further questions after reading this information, please contact:
The Nuclear Medicine Department
Telephone number: 0300 019 2499
Email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
In therapeutic nuclear medicine (radionuclide therapy), the unique characteristics of radioactive materials (radioisotopes) are used for therapeutic irradiation of cells and/or organs. Typically, a small amount of a radiopharmaceutical* is introduced into the body by injection or ingestion. The radiopharmaceutical is attracted to particular organs or tissues. From their locations within the body, the radioisotope releases small amounts of energy (radiation) which will act on cells (target cells) and/or organs (target organs). This irradiation can be for the purpose of a curative treatment (for instance thyroid cancer), palliative treatment (for instance for bone pain) or to reduce an organ's function (for instance an over-active thyroid).
* Radiopharmaceuticals are molecules or chemicals that are attached to a small amount of radioactive isotope that once administered to the patient are able to specifically localize within organs and/or organ systems in health and disease.
Radionuclide therapy is used by your doctor as part of your overall treatment.
Some common types of radionuclide therapy are:
Benefits:
Risks:
The Nuclear Medicine Department provides a diagnostic and therapeutic service for both inpatients and outpatients.
This is how you can find our department and what you can expect from your visit.
For diagnostic procedures a small amount of a radioactive material, called a Radiopharmaceutical, is introduced into the body by injection, ingestion, or inhalation.
After a period of time images of the distribution of the radioactive material in the body can be imaged with a gamma camera. Some procedures involve measuring blood samples.
This information allows Radiologists to determine how different organs in the body are functioning.
For therapeutic procedures, the radioactive material is injected or ingested. Once in the body it can treat diseases such as certain types of cancer.
Head of Department - Dr Kat Dixon – Consultant Clinical Scientist
Clinical Lead - Alison Fallows – Superintendent Radiographer
Reception:
0300 019 2499
Opening hours:
8.30 am - 5 pm
In diagnostic nuclear medicine, the unique characteristics of chemicals called radio-pharmaceuticals* are used for diagnosis. Typically, a small amount of a radiopharmaceutical is introduced into the body by injection, ingestion, or inhalation. The radiopharmaceutical is attracted to particular organs, bones, or other tissues. The radioisotope releases small amounts of energy (radiation) that can be detected outside the body by special "cameras". These cameras record the movement and localization of radiopharmaceuticals in the body. The resulting 2- and 3-dimensional images document the function (metabolic, physiologic, and pathologic) of the tissue or organ of interest. Physicians examine these images to evaluate and diagnose a large number of diseases.
Some procedures in nuclear medicine do not involve imaging. These tests involve the injection of a small amount of radiopharmaceutical usually followed by the taking of blood samples for analysis.
* Radiopharmaceuticals are molecules or chemicals that are attached to a small amount of radioactive isotope that once administered to the patient are able to specifically localize within organs and/or organ systems in health and disease.
Nuclear medicine images can assist your doctor in diagnosing diseases or planning and monitoring your treatment. Tumours, infection and other disorders can be detected by evaluating organ function.
The most common procedures carried out are:
For imaging procedures we use a gamma camera. This is a piece of equipment which can detect radiation and from where it is coming. During most nuclear medicine examinations, you will lie down on a scanning table. The gamma camera will take pictures of the parts of your body in which the doctors are interested. Some procedures involve scanning your whole body. The images are stored on a computer for processing.
Depending on the type of scan, it may take several seconds to several days for the substance to travel through the body and accumulate in the organ to be studied, thus there is a wide range in scanning times. While the images are being obtained, you must remain as still as possible. This is especially true when a series of images is obtained to show how an organ functions over time or when a tomographic* procedure is taking place. After the procedure, the radiographer will check that the quality of the images are optimal for processing and diagnosis. When this is done you will be able to leave. The images will then be processed to enable a doctor with specialised training in nuclear medicine to report on the findings and let your doctor know within a few days.
* A tomographic image is created by letting the gamma camera rotate around your body.
Some minor discomfort during a nuclear medicine procedure may arise from the intravenous injection, usually done with a small needle. Lying still on the examining table may be uncomfortable for some patients. The amount of radiopharmaceutical we use is very small and you would normally not feel anything from this. During the scan you should be as still as possible to enable us to collect good images at the first attempt.
For cardiac procedures we will sometimes need to get your heart to beat faster than normal and we will use a special drug to achieve this. Patients normally experience some minor symptoms from this drug, but they will quickly go away once we stop giving this drug. You will be monitored by highly qualified staff while this is taking place.
If you are having a non-imaging test you can leave between the injection and the blood sampling if you so wish. Just make sure you return for the blood sampling at the correct time.
Most patients undergo a nuclear medicine examination because their primary care doctor has recommended it. A physician who has specialised training in nuclear medicine will interpret the images or test results and forward a report to your doctor. It usually takes a few days to interpret, report and deliver the results.
Benefits:
Risks:
*Everybody is exposed to what is called natural background radiation coming from space, building material the ground, e.g. radon gas and from radioactivity inside our body. This natural radiation gives us a radiation dose equivalent to many hundred chest X-rays a year.
Nuclear Medicine procedures are time-consuming. They involve administration of a radiopharmaceutical, acquisition of images or analysis of blood or urine samples and interpretation of the results. It can take hours to days for the radiopharmaceutical to accumulate in the part of the body under study. Imaging and some non-imaging procedures can take up to three hours to perform.