Nuclear Medicine

Overview

“Acquiring and interpreting pictures of the body after giving small amounts of radioactive drug that is taken up in specific organs/cells, which “light up” on specialized (gamma) cameras.”

Combining principles from physics, chemistry, physiology, computer technology, and cellular biology, Nuclear Radiologists assess the relationship between the structure and function of organs down to the molecular level, thereby diagnosing/evaluating many conditions, providing crucial information for treatment decisions.

Nuclear Medicine specialists administer radioactive substances to achieve precisely targeted internal radiation treatment.  The subspecialty is particularly suited for those with a strong background in the natural sciences, who are engaged with technological/scientific advancements, and who desire some direct patient interaction.

Procedure Offering Highlights:

1. PET-CT
   a. Many cancer types (e.g., Lymphoma, Breast, Colon, Lung, Myeloma, Melanoma, etc.)
   b. PSMA prostate cancer
   c. Neuroendocrine tumor (NET), aka Carcinoid
2. Cardiac nuclear stress test (close collaboration with Cardiology across the hallway)
3. General diagnosis in thyroid, parathyroid, kidney, hepatobiliary, lung, CNS
4. Pre-operative planning for lymph node mapping, radioembolization dosimetry
5. Brain
   a. Alzheimer’s and other dementias
   b. Epilepsy
   c. Parkinsonism and other movement disorders
6. Targeted molecular cancer treatment – deliver a high radiation dose directly to specific cancer cells
   a. Prostate-specific membrane antigen targeted
   b. Thyroid cancer (and also hyperthyroidism), sodium iodide symporter targeted
   c. Neuroendocrine tumor somatostatin receptor targeted
   d. Liver tumor radio-embolization Y-90 embedded spheres

Technical Resources

1. Radiopharmacy: LA General is one of only a handful of hospitals in the entire Southern California region with an in-house radiopharmacy and full-time radiopharmacist, fully equipped with multiple hoods, measurement/testing equipment, refrigerators, and a centrifuge.
2. PET-CT: Time-of-flight positron emission tomography unit combined with a 64-slice diagnostic quality CT unit
3. SPECT:
   a. Ring gantry dual head with full collimator complements
   b. Gantry-free column-mounted open floor dual head systems
4. Gamma camera: Single-head solid-state detector for compact, lightweight, portable convenience
5. Thyroid probe
6. Advanced Visualization and Analysis software
   a. MIM for Nuclear Medicine visualization, including multi-modality fusion and automated segmentation
   b. Cedars-Sinai Cardiac Suite (QPS, QGS, QBS)