Our Services

This is a very useful test to examine many different bone problems, for example infection, inflammation, arthritis, stress fractures and malignant processes among others.

Images of the bones may be taken immediately and up to two or three hours later. This depends on the reason for the scan. Patients are free to go away until it is time for the images, or they can wait in our waiting room. We encourage patients to drink frequently during this time.

There is no need to undress for images to be taken. It is necessary to remove any metal objects from the clothing or in the pockets, such as coins, belts, watches, and jewellery.

This is a test to measure the function of the left ventricle of the heart.

This is a test to examine the blood supply to the heart muscle under stress conditions (similar to exercise) to see if there are any problems with the blood vessels supplying the heart.

For the stress study, patients will need to stop taking all caffeine for 24 hours. This is most important as caffeine will prevent the stress medicine from working and will result in a failed study.

This is a test to look at the drainage of the tear ducts. It does not involve an injection. We will drip a small amount of a radioactive tracer into the corner of each eye.

Patients will sit in front of a gamma camera. We will take a series of images as these drops drain from the eye. The imaging may take from 20 minutes up to an hour.

This is a test to look at the level of dopamine receptor cells in the brain using a small amount of an iodine based radioactive material. Dopamine is a chemical messenger that transmits messages between nerve cells and muscles. With Parkinson’s Disease the dopamine cells degenerate causing the patient to experience problems with movements, such as walking and dexterity.

Images will be taken three hours after the injection. We will ask patients to lie on their back on a bed with their head in a small cradle. Two cameras will move around the head to create the images but they do not touch. The images take about 25 minutes to acquire.

This is a test to measure how quickly the stomach empties. Patients must not have anything to eat or drink for four hours before the test and may also be asked to stop some medication. This test does not involve an injection; instead a small amount of a radioactive tracer is given in a pancake.

Some patients may not tolerate eggs, therefore it is important to let us know so we can make alternative arrangements.

This is a test to look at the blood supply to the brain, usually for epilepsy studies. We no longer support studies for Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia using this method.

 Patients will be given an injection of a small amount of radioactivity that settles in the brain.

The images are taken soon after the injection. Patients will be asked to lie on their back on a bed with their head in a small cradle. Two cameras will move around the head to create the images but they do not touch.

This is a test to look at the blood supply and function of the kidneys. Patients will be given an injection into a vein, of a small amount of radioactivity, that settles in the kidney cells. A set of images will be taken on a gamma camera an hour and a half later.

This is a useful test to get an accurate measurement of how well the kidneys are working (known as the glomerular filtration rate or GFR).

It is important that patients drink other fluids before and during the test. Patients may eat a light breakfast and lunch on the day of the test. This test is carried out using just blood samples and there is no need for urine samples or any imaging.

This is a test to look at the drainage of the kidneys and the ureters into the bladder. Patients will be given an injection and lie on the gamma camera; The technologist will watch as the radioactivity is rapidly cleared from the blood stream by the kidneys. At the same time a diuretic is given to speed up this process and give us more functional information.

This is a test to look at the function of the liver and the drainage of the gall bladder. Patients are asked to have nothing to eat or drink for four hours. They will be given an injection into a vein of a small amount of radioactivity that settles in the liver cells then drains through the bile ducts into the gall bladder.

Imaging may take up to two hours and a fatty meal is provided to gain more functional information.

This is a test to look at the function of the liver in patients due to undergo major liver surgery.

It is very important that you eat something 4 hours before the scan starts then nothing until the scan is complete. For the scan, you will be given an injection then some pictures will be taken of your liver. The scan should take approximately 1 hour.

This is a two part test to look at the blood and air supplies to the lungs, either to check for the presence of small blood clots or to measure and compare how each lung works.

For the lung Q study, to look at the blood supply, Patients are given a veinous injection of a small amount of radioactivity that is temporarily trapped in the fine blood vessels of the lungs. A series of images are then taken for about two to five minutes.

For the lung V study, to look at airways in the lung, Patients will be asked to breathe some air through a mouthpiece for about two minutes with a fine radioactive gas in it.

Images will then be taken in exactly the same manner as the perfusion study. Sometimes a perfusion (Q) study is carried out without the ventilation study.

This is a test to look at the drainage of lymphatic fluid from either the arms or legs. Patients will be given an injection of a small amount of radioactivity into either your hands or feet depending on which limb is giving you problems. The injection will be placed just under the skin surface.

Imaging may take up to 2 hours, but patients will be able to get up and walk around between images.

This is a simple test to look for a small pouch of bowel called a Meckel’s diverticulum. The lining of this pouch can become inflamed causing pain and bleeding.

Receptor-mediated tumour imaging scans are tests used to assess the presence and extent of tumour cells originating from neuroendocrine tissue.  

This is a test to look at the size, position and activity levels of the parathyroid glands. These four small glands usually sit in the neck close to the thyroid, but can sometimes develop in the chest.

Patients will be given and injection of radioactivity and imaged using the gamma camera. Usually a CT scan will be performed at the same time to localise the parathyroid glands. 

This test investigates how well the body absorbs bile salts. If they are not being absorbed properly, they interfere with water absorption in the bowel and can cause diarrhoea.

The test takes place over two appointments, booked seven days apart. The first appointment lasts for approximately one hour and the second for five minutes.

At the first appointment Patients will be given a capsule containing bile salts and a very small amount of radioactivity. Some measurements are taken with a gamma camera before and after having the capsule. At the second appointment the following week, just one measurement is taken to see how much radioactivity is remaining.

This test is to identify the normal lymphatic drainage pattern of tumour sites. It is carried out immediately prior to surgery for a malignant breast or skin tumour.

A small amount of a radioactive tracer is injected under the skin around the skin lesion or at the side of the nipple for breast disease. Images are then taken over a period of up to an hour.

This is a test to look at the size, shape, position and activity levels of the thyroid gland. Patients will be given an injection of a small amount of radioactivity that settles in the thyroid tissue.

Images of the thyroid are taken immediately on the gamma camera.

Iodine-131 is used to treat malignant thyroid disease.

It is radioactive, so when it settles in the thyroid cells, it reduces the number of cells that work.

Treatment will take in a special private room on ward 35. The iodine-131 is in a capsule form. After treatment, Patients will need to stay in the private room for around two to four days until the radioactivity has declined. Our staff will take measurements to check how this is going.

In some cases you will be allowed to return home the same day.

This is a treatment for overactive thyroid disease.

It is radioactive, so when it settles in the thyroid cells, it reduces the number of cells that work.

Treatment will take place within the Nuclear Medicine Department. The iodine-131 is in a capsule form. After treatment, Patients will be allowed to return home with special instructions to follow.

This is a treatment for specific Neuroendocrine tumours. Generally gastroenteropancreatic tumors

Treatment will take place within the Nuclear Medicine Department. After treatment, Patients will be allowed to return home with special instructions to follow.

Radium 223 (trade name Xofigo) is used to treat prostate cancer which has spread to the bones. It aims to slow the growth of the cancer in the bones, and to help with symptoms such as pain.

Xofigo contains radioactive material (radium dichloride) which acts in a similar way to calcium, so it becomes concentrated in areas of the bone which are rapidly growing or rebuilding themselves. It is powerful radiation but can only travel short distances, killing off cancer cells in the bone while only causing minimal damage to the surrounding healthy tissue.

Because it targets cells which use calcium, Xofigo only treats the cancer in the bones and not the prostate itself.

We use Selective Internal Radio Therapy (SIRT) to treat malignant liver tumours. These tumours may have originally developed in the liver or might have spread to the liver from somewhere else in the body.

We inject millions of tiny resin beads (less than the width of a human hair) into a major blood vessel supplying the tumour. These beads contain yttrium 90, which sends out beta particles.

Beta particles produce powerful radiation which can only travel short distances, killing off cancer cells but only causing minimal damage to the surrounding healthy tissue.

Once injected, the beads travel along the blood vessel to the tumour area where they become embedded in the tiny capillary vessels. The treatment works in two ways; the radiation from the Yttrium damages the tumour cells, and the beads block the blood vessels which cuts off the oxygen supply to the tumour.

Total Body imaging used to assess Lean and Fat Mass.

Lean mass includes all parts of the body [organs, muscle, and fluids] but excludes body fat. The higher the Tissue %Lean, the more muscular the body.

A DXA scan (Dual X-Ray Absorptiometry Scan) is the best way to measure bone density. It is the most accurate and reliable way of assessing the strength of your bones and their risk of fracture.

Total Body analysis of Bone Mineral Density and Body composition. Useful for monitoring athletes performance.

The results can be used by a Doctor in conjunction with other clinical risk factors as an aid in the diagnosis of osteoporosis and other medical conditions leading to altered trabecular bone microarchitecture, and
ultimately in the assessment of fracture risk.

Identification of vertebral fractures without the need for another appointment