Intravenous Pyelogram

An Intravenous Pyelogram (IVP) is a radiological procedure used to visualize the urinary system. This includes the kidneys, ureters and bladder. A injection of x-ray contrast media is given to the patient through the vein. It then becomes visible on a x-ray almost immediately after injection. X-rays are taken at specific times to capture the contrast as it travels through the parts of the urinary system. The images will give a review of the patients anatomy and information on the functioning of the renal system.

Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear medicine uses radioactive isotopes and relies on radioactive decay in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. The patient is injected with radiopharmaceuticals that can localize specific organs or cellular receptors. This allows nuclear medicine to have the ability to image the extent of a disease-process in the body. In some cases nuclear medicine studies can identify medical problems at an earlier stage than other diagnostic tests. External detectors (gamma cameras) capture and form images from the radiation emitted by the radiopharmaceuticals. There are several techniques used in nuclear medicine. Scintigraphy uses radioisotopes to create 2-D images, SPECT is used to create 3-D projections and Positron emission tomography (PET) uses detection to image functional processes. The amount of radiation from diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures is kept "ALARA" As Low As Reasonably Achievable). The dose can vary greatly depending on the type of study. Some procedures requie patient preparation before the study. For example, dietary preparation or withholding certain medicaitons. The medication used in nuclear medicine emits ionizing radiation that travels short distances and minimizes unwanted side effects and damange to uninvolved organs. Most procedures are outpatient procedures, meaning the patient will go home the same day. Some of the most common procedures are 131l-sodium iodide for hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer, yttrium-90 and iodine-131 for refractory lymphoma and 131I-MIBG for neuroendocrine tumors.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation Therapy is the medical use of ionizing radiation as part of treating cancer and to control malignant cells. Radiation therapy is also known as Radiotherapy. The use of radiation therapy on non-mailignant conditions is limited partly by worries about the risk of radiation-induced cancers. With treating cancer, radiation therapy also can be combined with surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or a mixture. To spare normal tissues (skin or organs radiation must pass through to treat the tumor), the radiation beams are shaped and aimed from several angles to intersect the tumor and to provide a larger absorbed dose then in the surrounding, healthy tissue. Radiation therapy works by damaging the DNA of cells by free radicals and since cancer cells are stem-like they reproduce more and have a diminished ability to repair sub-lethal damage compared to healthy cells. The DNA damage is inherited through division and accumulates damage to the cancer cells causing them to die or reproduce more slowly. There are three types of radiation therapy. External beam radiotherapy, brachytherapy and unsealed source radiotherapy. The differences relate to the position of the radiation souce. External is outside the body, brachytherapy uses radioactive sources placed in the area under treatment and unsealed source radiotherapy is given by infustion or orally.