Gamma Camera

The Department of Radiology at the Yashoda Hospital is a highly specialized, full-service department that provides the latest technology and state of the art facilities to the patients. Our ongoing organizational progression and resource development ensure that our radiology department is optimally structured and equipped to meet present and future medical and scientific challenges. Our uttermost mission is to provide courteous, competent, and compassionate clinical services uniformly of the highest standards.

What is a Gamma Camera?

Gamma camera is a minimally invasive procedure used to create images using crystals of sodium iodine by detecting gamma photons.

A gamma camera (γ-camera) is also referred to as a scintillation camera or anger camera; a device used to image gamma radiation emitting radioisotopes. This technique is also known as scintigraphy. Early drug development and nuclear medical imaging are the applications of scintigraphy, which analyze the various parts of the human body or the distribution of medically inhaled, injected, or ingested radionuclides emitting gamma rays. Gamma camera is used to produce functional scans of the lungs, brain, thyroid, skeleton, liver, gallbladder, and kidneys.

How Does a Gamma Camera Work?

Technetium-99m, a metastable nuclear isomer, is the most commonly used tracer for its relatively long half-life of six hours. It also has the ability to be incorporated into different types of molecules in order to target different systems within the body. As the tracer travels through the body and emits radiation, a crystal tracks its progress that scintillates in response to gamma-rays.

An array of light sensors converts the resulting flash of light into an electrical signal when the crystal is mounted in front of it. Compared to the X-ray, the Gamma camera maps the function and processes of the body instead of the anatomy and structure.

What are the applications of Gamma Camera?

The Gamma Camera tracks the radioisotopes in the area to be scanned and assess how the body’s parts process it. Gamma camera performs several different types of diagnostic scans, such as:

• Heart Scintigraphy
• Renal Scintigraphy
• Bone Scintigraphy
• Lung Scintigraphy
• Thyroid Scintigraphy
• Parathyroid Scintigraphy
• Biliary system (Cholescintigraphy)

What to Expect During a Gamma Camera?

Before the Procedure

• You will be told to wear a hospital gown.
• Unless you are told otherwise, you should take food and medications as usual.
• Pregnant women also should tell radiologists if they are pregnant.
• Prior to the scan, leave all the jewelry and other accessories at home.
• You will also have to tell the doctor if you are taking any medications.

During the Procedure

• For the scan, you will be asked to lie on an examination table. A nurse or technologist will place an intravenous (IV) catheter into a vein in your hand or arm.
• The radiotracer is injected intravenously.
• You will need to remain still when the camera or scanner is taking a series of images.
• The total scanning time is usually about three to four hours, depending on the type of exam.

After the Procedure

• Our radiologist or other doctors specially trained in nuclear medicine will supervise and interpret radiology examinations by analyzing the images.
• The signed reports will be shared with you or with your primary physician to discuss the results.
• You may have to undergo follow-up exams because of any potential abnormality needs, which may require evaluation with additional views or a special imaging technique.
• The doctor will ask you to go for further tests to see if the treatment is working.
• You will also be asked to drink plenty of water and flush out the radioactive from your body by emptying the bladder.