Gamma Camera: The special camera and imaging techniques used in nuclear medicine include the Gamma camera and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). The Gamma camera, also called a scintillation camera, detects radioactive energy that is emitted from the patient's body and converts it into an image. It simultaneously detects radiation from the entire field of view and enables the acquisition of dynamic as well as static images of the area of interest in the human body.

Nuclear medicine imaging uses small amounts of radioactive material to diagnose, evaluate or treat a variety of diseases. These include many types of cancers, heart disease, gastrointestinal, endocrine or neurological disorders and other abnormalities. Because nuclear medicine exams can pinpoint molecular activity, they have the potential to identify disease in its earliest stages. They can also show whether a patient is responding to treatment. Nuclear medicine imaging procedures are non-invasive. With the exception of intravenous injections, they are usually painless.

Depending on the type of exam, the radiotracer is injected, swallowed or inhaled as a gas. It eventually accumulates in the area of the body under examination. A special camera or imaging device detects radioactive emissions from the radiotracer. The camera or device produces pictures and provides molecular information.

Many centers superimpose nuclear medicine images with computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to produce special views. This is known as image fusion or co-registration. These views allow the doctor to correlate and interpret information from two different exams on one image this leads to more precise information and accurate diagnoses. Single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) units can perform both exams at the same time.