Medical Services

Find a Doctor

Seminars and Symposia

Keep abreast of medical developments and other events View All

Nuclear Medicine

Home » Our Services » Medical Services » Nuclear Medicine

We offer the following diagnostic procedures:



Our Nuclear Medicine Facility at the Makati Medical Center’s Nuclear Medicine department is the country's largest and most advanced.

With advanced equipment, we can claim a very high degree of diagnostic confidence. This allows us to provide you, our patients, with superior patient care. At our facility, we use nuclear medicine to provide our physicians with quick and vital information about the anatomy and the functioning of specific organs. With this information, we are able to make quick and accurate diagnosis of medical conditions, some grave, such as cancer, heart disease, thyroid disorders, and bone fractures.

Nuclear medicine tests make use of radioactive materials, but these tests are relatively painless, involving nothing more painful than an injection. They are also among the safest diagnostic tests available.

Our facilities can:

  • Analyze kidney function
  • Image blood flow and function of the heart
  • Scan lungs for respiratory and blood-flow problems
  • Identify blockages of the gallbladder
  • Evaluate bones for fracture, infection, arthritis or tumor
  • Determine the presence or spread of cancer
  • Identify bleeding in the bowel
  • Locate the presence of infection
  • Measure thyroid function to detect an overactive or underactive thyroid

Early diagnosis, in turn, gives patients the advantage of beginning appropriate treatments as soon as possible, granting them better chances of successful treatments.

The nuclear medicine department also offers therapeutics on top of diagnostics, making use of small amounts of radioactive materials, or tracers, to help diagnose and treat a variety of diseases.

Our available diagnostic equipment include:

  • Bone Densitometer
  • Gamma Camera
  • Gamma Well Counter
  • Heliprobe
  • Thyroid Uptake Equipment
  • Treadmill Machine


Our Diagnostic Procedures

Cardiovascular System
Rest MPI. Stress MPI. Rest / Stress MPI. Rest / Dipyridamole Infusion MPI. Rest / Dobutamine Infusion MPI. TI-201 Stress / Redistribution MPI. Dipyridamole Infusion MPI. Dobutamine Infusion MPI. Adenosine Infusion MPI. Acute Myocardial Infarct. Gated Blood Pool Studies.

Back to top

Central Nervous System
Dynamic Brain Imaging. Static Brain Imaging. Brain SPECT

Back to top

Endocrine System
2 & 24 Hours RAI Uptake. 20 Minutes Tc99m Uptake. Tc99m Thyroid Imaging. Wholebody RAI Imaging 1-131 MIBG Wholebody Imaging.

Back to top

Gastrointestinal System
Liver scan. Liver & spleen scan. Liver SPECT. Gastric Emptying. Gastroesaphogeal Reflux. GI Bleeding. Hepatobiliary Imaging. Meckel's Diverticulum

Back to top

Genitourinary Systems
DTPA/EC/MAG3 Dynamic Renal Imaging. Renal Imaging with Captopril. Diuretic Renal Imaging. DMSA Static Renal Imaging. Indirect Cystogram. Testicular Imaging.

Back to top

Hematology
Blood Volume Measurement. Red Cell Survival & Splenic Sequestration

Back to top

Infection
Ga-67 Citrate Wholebody Imaging. Leucocyte Wholebody Imaging

Back to top

Pulmonary System
Lung Perfusion Imaging. Lung Quantitation. Lung Ventilation. Lung Perfusion / Lung Ventilation.

Back to top

Skeletal System
Wholebody Bone Imaging. Bone SPECT. 3 Phase Bone Scan

Back to top

Therapeutic
I-131 Therapy for Thyroid Cancer. I-131 Therapy for Hyperthyroidism

Back to top

Other Procedures
Scintimammography. Dacryoscintigraphy. Urea Breath Test. Bone Mineral Densitometry. Lymphangioscintigraphy

Back to top

Radioimmunoassay Procedures
Aldosterone. HbsAg (Hepatitis B Surface Antigen). Anti-HBs (Antibody to Hepatitis F Antigen). Anti-HBc-M (Hepatitis B Core Antibody). Anti HAV-M (Active Hepatitis A Antibody). Anti-hTg (Anti-Thyroglobulin). Anti-TPO (Anti-Thyroid-Peroidase). DHEA-S (Dehydroepiandrosterone). Digoxin. Estradiol. FT3. (Free Triidothyronine). FT4 (Free Thyroxine). Gastin Plasma Cortisol. Renin. Testosterone. TRAB (Anti-R TSH)

Back to top

Immunoradiometric Assay Procedures
ACTH (Adrenocorticotropic Hormone). bHCG (Beta Human Chorionic Gonadotropin). CA-125. CEA (Carcino Embryonic Antigen). C-Peptide. FSH (Follicle Simulating Hormone). HGH (Human Growth Hormone). LH (Luteinizing Hormone). PRL (Prolactin). PTH (Parathyroid Hormone). Thyroglobulin. TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone)

Back to top


Guidelines for Nuclear Medicine Patients

You should tell your physician if you:

  • Have had any tests, surgeries, or treatments using radioactive materials or x-rays using iodine contrast material in the last five years
  • Are taking medications or ingesting other substances that contain iodine, including kelp, seaweed, cough syrups, multivitamins, or heart medications
  • Have any allergies to iodine, medication and anesthetics
  • Are pregnant
  • Are breastfeeding

To prepare for the test, you should:

  • Take no meals the midnight before your test is scheduled.
  • Be at the Nuclear Medicine Laboratory 15 minutes before your scheduled time.
  • Register your name with the Laboratory Technologist.
  • Have blood tests done days prior to your examination.
  • Remove jewelry, dentures, or anything metallic that could interfere with the imaging.

Back to top

What you should know when taking the test
Most nuclear medicine tests do not require special preparations from patients. However, if the procedure involves the evaluation of your heart or stomach, you may have to skip a meal before the test. If the procedure involves evaluation of the kidneys, you may need to drink plenty of water before the test. Your physician will inform you ahead of time about what you should do before, during and after the tests.

Back to top

How does the procedure work?
You are given a small dose of radioactive material, usually intravenously but sometimes orally, or through a breathing device. This compound, called a radiopharmaceutical agent or tracer, eventually collects in the organ under observation, and gives off energy as gamma rays. The gamma camera detects the rays and works with a computer to produce images and measurements of organs and tissues.

During most nuclear medicine examinations, you will lie down on a scanning table. Consequently, the only piece of equipment you may notice is the gamma camera used during the procedure. Sometimes, the camera is beneath the table out of view. A nearby computer console processes the data from the procedure. The camera does not produce radiation. It simply picks up signals from the radioactive compound you received earlier.

Back to top

What will I experience during the procedure?
Some minor discomfort during a nuclear medicine procedure may arise from the intravenous injection, usually done with a small needle. For some special studies, a catheter may be placed into the bladder—and this may cause temporary discomfort. Also, lying still on the examining table may be uncomfortable for some patients.

Back to top

What about the radioactivity?
Most of the radioactivity you receive during the test passes out of your body in urine or stool. The rest simply disappears through natural loss of radioactivity over time.

Back to top



Chief: Jose Eduardo S. Rondain, M.D.

Our Location

2nd Floor, Main Building (end of hallway)

Telephone: +632 8888 999 local 31 or  7940 

Fax: 816 2834

Clinic Hours:

M - F: 7-6
S: 7-5


Sub topic:


Related Topics



 

Health Topics

Reap the benefits of staying healthy. Increase your health knowledge—and your lifespan—with interesting articles on keeping fit, eating well, helping your loved ones heal from common ailments, dealing with pain, and much more.

Read More »
 
 

Corporate News

Learn about innovations in patient care, new procedures in our departments, new equipment upgrades, new investments, and the countless other ways that we make our services exceptional.


Read More »
 

 

Centers of Excellence

Get the exceptional patient care you deserve in our multidisciplinary Centers of Excellence that are stocked with advanced equipment—and staffed by experienced specialists, caring nurses and outstanding staff.

Read More »
 
 

International Services

Obtain safe, low-cost, world-class medical care as you take time off to savor the sights and sounds of an exotic tropical country with a strong tradition of healing—and a steady source of top-notch health care professionals..

Read More »