INSTITUTE OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE
INTRODUCTION
The Institute of Nuclear Medicine supports clinical trials with performing diagnostic tasks.
The nuclear medicine or isotope diagnostic test is a special type of examination. By this we can obtain a lot of
information about the examined organs, primarily about their state of functioning. This significantly helps the doctor in
recognising diseases, and applying effective treatment.
Isotope testing involves giving patients intravenous injections of molecules labelled with specific isotopes, known as
radiopharmaceuticals (radioactive substances). The tests are therefore performed using ionising radiation. Ionising
radiation can have a damaging effect on tissue, so the patient must indicate if she is pregnant or the possibility of
pregnancy cannot be excluded.
There are no hypersensitivity reactions to the substances used therefore these tests can be performed in case of
hypersensitivity to contrast substances.
The elimination of the isotope from the body is facilitated by increased fluid intake, so it is advisable to drink more
fluids than usual after the test, or during the test while waiting for the test in the case of bone scans.
Although the isotope used may pose low risk to the body, patients are advised to keep children under the age of 10
and pregnant mothers away from themselves on the day of the test for increased safety.
The waiting time for different tests varies depending on the properties of the radio-pharmaceutical administered and
the specificities of the organ being tested.
For certain diseases and clinical symptoms, radiopharmaceuticals are also used as a treatment. Nuclear medicine is
therefore not only diagnostic but also therapeutic.
DIAGNOSTIC ACTIVITY
The examination portfolio is the following:
Thyroid scintigraphy
Size, shape, location, activity distribution and examination of isotope uptake of the palpable nodules.
Lung scintigraphy
Examination of the distribution of blood in the supply area of small or large blood vessels blocked from the outside or inside.
Liver scintigraphy
Examination of the distribution of cells which took up colloids. This determines the places and sizes of the destructions of the liver parenchyma.
Dynamic liver examination - hepatobiliary scintigraphy
Examination of the bile excretory function.
Renal scintigraphy
Examination of the distribution of tubular cells, for the localization and size determination of the destruction of the renal parenchyma. Quantitative measurement of the percentage distribution of renal function between the two kidneys.
Dynamic renal examination - camera renography
Examining the urinary function.
Brain scintigraphy
Examination of damage to the blood-brain barrier.
Brain perfusion study
Examination of the damage to the gray matter in the supply area of the occluded veins.
Myocardial perfusion test
Examination of the damage to the heart muscle in the supply area of the occluded blood vessels under rest and stress conditions.
ECG-gated ventricular wall motion and ejection fraction study
Detection of the pump function and wall motion of the left ventricle.
Tumor recurrence-metastasis study
Nonspecific detection of abnormally increased energy supply to tumor cells.
Adrenergic receptor scintigraphy
Specific detection of tumors and tumor cells containing abnormal amounts of receptors.
Somatostatin receptor scintigraphy
Specific detection of tumors and tumor cells containing abnormal amounts of receptors.
Adrenal cortex examination
Specific examination of pathologically increased hormone synthesis.
FDG PET/CT examination
For testing glucose metabolism, primarily in oncological indications.
THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY
Treatment of hyperthyroidism
Peroral administration of radioactive iodine after a preliminary assessment of the degree of overactivity.
Thyroid tumor treatment
The use of high doses of radioactive iodine to destroy residual normal and cancerous cells and iodine-uptaking
metastases after prior thyroid eradication.
Palliative treatment of painful bone metastases
The use of short-range radiation specifically targeted to bone tissue to reduce or eliminate the number of abnormal cells, and thus pain.
The above activities are routinely performed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine.
Involvement in human clinical trials is based on an individual quotation following an assessment of the precise diagnostic test requirements.
Click on the following link to visit the webiste of the department:
Website of the Nuclear Medicine Institute of the University of Pécs Clinical Center
Created: 12/09/2019
Last updated: 13.09.2019.