Nuclear Medicine Department | Mediclinic

In Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging (NMMI) at Mediclinic in Abu Dhabi, we use very small amounts of radioactive materials (radiopharmaceuticals) to help diagnose and treat diseases. The radiopharmaceutical can be injected, ingested, or inhaled and then detected by special types of cameras to provide very precise pictures of the area of the body being imaged. Nuclear medicine can also be used to treat certain types of cancer and other diseases.

Molecular imaging at Mediclinic in Abu Dhabi offers unique insights into the human body. It shows us how the body actually works and reveals the cause of a medical problem by giving us images of the abnormal function of the organ, tissue or bone. NMMI is able to identify disease in its earliest stages and determine the exact location of a tumor, often before symptoms occur or abnormalities can be detected with other diagnostic tests.

This is how Nuclear Medicine is different from Diagnostic Radiology.

X-ray, CT-scan or ultrasound are giving us pictures of how the body or diseased organ actually looks, pretty much like what taking a photograph would do. Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging would compare more to a sophisticated infrared video camera using this analogy. This camera would not be so much interested in how our body looks but more in what is going on in our body on a physical and molecular basis.

In diagnostic Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging at Mediclinic in Abu Dhabi, we can take advantage of both worlds, the "photographic" and the molecular functional, in one study. We do this with state-of-the-art PET-CT and SPECT-CT scanners that combine Molecular Imaging (PET and SPECT) with Computed Tomography (CT) to give our patients the best precision in detecting their diseases and in monitoring their response to treatment.

Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging in Mediclinic Abu Dhabi plays an integral role in multiple multidisciplinary clinical decision boards, such as the Comprehesive Cancer Center Tumor Board, the Cardiovascular, Endocrine and Neurologic Disease Boards, to offer personalized patient care and to ensure that the NMMI technologies are used in the right patient at the right time.

Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging consists of the following functional units.

Nuclear Medicine Imaging (also called Molecular Imaging) provides detailed pictures of physiologic or pathologic processes inside the human body at the molecular and cellular level. Specialized camera systems can detect and image the distribution of the radiotracer in the body. Often these images are fused with anatomic CT or MRI images for localization purposes.
Nuclear Medicine Therapy uses radiopharmaceuticals that target specific organs, structures, or cells for the treatment of disease. Examples are cancers such as thyroid, prostate and neuroendocrine cancers, as well as lymphomas and certain metastatic cancers. But also benign conditions such as hyperthyroidism or joint disease can be treated with Nuclear Medicine Therapy.
Nuclear Medicine Quantitative Laboratory Studies Nuclear Medicine can quantitate physiologic or pathologic states. Examples are the measurement of thyroid gland iodine uptake, blood volume, or cerebrospinal fluid leakage.

How does 'Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging' (NMMI) help patients?

As a tool for evaluating and managing the care of patients, NMMI studies help physicians:

determine the extent or severity of the disease, including whether it has spread elsewhere in the body
select the most effective therapy based on the unique biologic characteristics of the patient and the molecular properties of a tumor or other disease
determine a patient’s response to specific drugs
accurately assess the effectiveness of a treatment regimen
adapt treatment plans quickly in response to changes in cellular activity
assess disease progression
identify recurrence of disease and help manage ongoing care

When is NMMI used?

NMMI procedures—which are noninvasive, safe and painless—are used to diagnose and manage the treatment of cancer, heart disease, brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, gastrointestinal disorders, lung disorders, bone disorders, kidney and thyroid disorders, and more.
The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) offers fact sheets that explain how nuclear medicine and molecular imaging can help diagnose and treat a wide range of diseases. Please paste this link into your browser or click: http://www.snmmi.org/factsheets

General Nuclear Medicine Resources