Nuclear Medicine
Centers located in the following hospitals:
- Mouwasat Hospital Khobar
Why nuclear medicine?
Because we can obtain information and details about the diseases that the human body suffers from, from a functional point of view that cannot be obtained by any other means of radiation.
What is the advantage of using radioactive materials for diagnosis or treatment?
The radioactive drugs used for injection give a nuclear picture that helps provide information on cell molecules level, that way any malfunctions in the body's organs can be distinguished.
Is there a risk of using radioactive materials?
It doesn’t pose any danger to the patient if he/she follows the doctor's instructions. As the radioactive material gradually disappears with time and with frequent drinking of fluids, it is preferable not to approach children and pregnant women in the first hours after imaging.
What are the patient's preparations before imaging?
Most of the tests in nuclear medicine do not need special preparation, but some tests require the patient to be fasting or stop taking some medications for some time, and sometimes the patient must follow the instructions given by the reception staff when determining the date of the examination.
These radioactive drugs are considered like any medicine that is prepared with great care, and the tests are considered safe and the amount of radioactive medicine used is very few; so the patient is exposed to a similar amount of rays, or sometimes less than a diagnostic X-ray.
What about the results of the tests?
These tests contain a lot of information; so the nuclear medicine consultant needs enough time to prepare the medical report. Which may take from one to two days.
If you have other questions, who should you ask?
You are free to ask a nuclear medicine specialist any question related to testing while you are being admitted to the clinic.
Are there complications after imaging?
There are no complications and you can resume your work as normal.
General Instructions for the Department of Nuclear Medicine:
- The patient must inform the nuclear medicine physician and technician who is doing the examination about any drugs that he/she is taking
- The patient should also inform the nuclear medicine physician and technician if he/she has an allergy, if he/she suffers from a recent disease, or if he/she has any other medical condition
- Ladies should always inform the doctor or the nuclear medicine technologist in the event of pregnancy or breastfeeding.
- Jewelry and other metal accessories should be left at home - if possible - or removed prior to the examination as they are likely to interfere with the examination procedures.
- The patient will receive specific instructions from the Nuclear Medicine Clinic based on the type of examination he or she performs.
- Because nuclear medicine examinations can be very sensitive to external stimuli, these instructions must be followed very carefully.
- The patient may be required to wear special medical wear during the examination. Or, he/she may be allowed to wear his/her own clothes, depending on the type of examination.
