Scintigraphy

Scintigraphy is an imaging test used to make a diagnosis.

To carry out this examination, a nuclear medicine technician administers a weakly radioactive product which attaches itself to the organ to be explored. The product is usually injected intravenously into the elbow.

Fixation of the product may take several hours, and will enable images to be taken using a gamma camera, which will detect the radiation emitted. The nuclear physician can then analyze the functioning of the organ to which the radioactive product has attached itself.

The most common scintigraphies are used to explore the skeleton (bone scintigraphy), thyroid, kidneys, brain, heart...