核医学

皇冠hga025大学洛杉矶分校健康 excellence in 核医学

At the 皇冠hga025大学洛杉矶分校健康 Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division, our experts use nuclear medicine procedures to diagnose, manage and treat a range of conditions. We’re skilled at using groundbreaking imaging technology to de肝 the highest level of care to people of all ages. Highlights of our program include:

Expertise in diagnosis and treatment: We lead the nation in state-of-the-art imaging and therapy using nuclear medicine technology. Our highly skilled specialists work as a team to evaluate and stage disease, provide a precise diagnosis and offer potential treatments.

方便的护理: We perform nuclear medicine procedures at several locations, including inpatient and outpatient clinics in Westwood, 圣塔莫尼卡, Thousand Oaks and Santa Clarita. Our compassionate team makes it as easy as possible for you to get the care you need.

Groundbreaking therapies: Nuclear medicine experts work with a coordinated team of specialists to treat neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and prostate cancer. The 核医学 Clinic at UCLA was one of the first medical centers in the US to treat NET patients with Lutathera®, and prostate cancer patients with Pluvicto®.

Precise prostate cancer staging: 皇冠hga025大学洛杉矶分校健康 nuclear medicine experts use PET/CT with an imaging probe that targets the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). PSMA PET/CT scans help diagnose and stage prostate cancer with unparalleled accuracy. The results of these scans enable the patient’s care team to plan more effective treatments.

致力于研究: Our specialists are at the forefront of the latest advances in nuclear medicine technology. We are actively involved with research to develop new nuclear medicine techniques that can help doctors diagnose, manage and treat cardiovascular disease, cancer and neurological disease.

What is 核医学?

Nuclear medicine uses small amounts of radioactive tracers or drugs to help doctors diagnose and treat a variety of diseases. During a nuclear medicine procedure, your doctor uses a large scanner to take detailed pictures of your body. 核医学 therapies are performed by injecting or swallowing the radioactive drug.

The radioactive tracer or drug is attracted to specific organs, bones, tissues or cells. Your doctor uses special cameras that can image where the tracers accumulate and "light up" in your body. This information helps your doctor diagnose and evaluate many conditions.

What can I expect during my nuclear medicine procedure?

手术前, your doctor or a nuclear medicine technologist will give you a small amount of radioactive tracer. Most tracers are injected into a vein, some are swallowed or inhaled. This is followed by a scan. Depending on the type of procedure, you may need to wait a few hours or a few days between getting the tracer and having the scan.  

After your scan, it is safe for you to go home and resume your usual activities. The radioactive material usually loses its radioactivity within a few hours and also leaves your body naturally when you go to the bathroom.

Reactions to nuclear medicine tracers and drugs are extremely rare.If you have concerns or any allergies, talk to your doctor. Nuclear medicine procedures are safe. The total amount of radiation you receive from a nuclear medicine exam is comparable to the amount you receive during an X-ray or a CT scan.

When the images from your scan are ready, your doctor reviews them and creates a report for your care team. Your care team will contact you to review the results, answer questions and discuss next steps.

我们的护理领域

皇冠hga025大学洛杉矶分校健康中心, we use nuclear medicine procedures to diagnose disease, 管理条件, plan treatment and de肝 targeted therapies. Nuclear medicine technology enables us to:

诊断条件: Our experts perform scans of the heart, 甲状腺, 肝, 肾脏, 胆囊, lungs and other organs to see how the organs are working and to diagnose a range of conditions. 例子 of these conditions include cardiovascular disease, 阿尔茨海默病, 癫痫和癌症.

Manage disease and plan treatments: We use the results of nuclear medicine scans to gather information about the character, and stage of the disease as well as how it is responding to therapy. 使用这些信息, your care team can develop the most appropriate treatment plan while lowering the risk of future disease.

Provide effective therapies: Nuclear medicine allows us to de肝 therapy directly to certain cancers. 例子 include neuroendocrine tumors, prostate cancer and 甲状腺 cancer. 

Nuclear medicine scans and procedures we offer

Our team uses sophisticated imaging technology to de肝 the latest advances in care. We specialize in all nuclear medicine procedures, including:

Positron emission tomography and computerized tomography (PET/CT) scans

These imaging tests create detailed pictures of the body using safe amounts of a radioactive tracer. The images allow us to see how organs are working and evaluate abnormal, damaged or cancerous tissues.

After giving you the tracer, your doctor performs the PET/CT scan. The tracer collects in certain areas of the body and shows up on the images. Depending on the procedure, these highlighted areas may indicate tumors, evidence of 阿尔茨海默病 or problems with the heart or blood vessels.

Cardiac perfusion scan (nuclear stress test)

This imaging study evaluates blood flow through the arteries of your heart. We inject a small amount of safe, radioactive tracer into a vein. As the tracer moves through your heart muscle, we take images with a scanner that allows us to check the blood vessels in your heart. We can identify any damaged areas or blood flow problems based on how the tracer looks on the scan.

We perform this test while you are resting and after you have exercised (nuclear stress test). Your doctor may ask you to walk on a treadmill or do another activity that increases your heart rate before doing the second scan. We then compare the resting images to the post-exercise images.

A cardiac perfusion scan helps us see how much blood is reaching the heart. It allows us to determine the cause of chest pain or to assess damage after a heart attack.

Prostate-specific membrane antigens (PSMA) PET/CT imaging

This advanced imaging study allows us to locate prostate tumors so we can develop more effective treatments. The test uses a safe, radioactive tracer. Your doctor injects the tracer into a vein in your arm. As the tracer flows through your bloodstream, it attaches to specific proteins (called PSMA) that develop on the surface of prostate cancer tumors.

Using a sophisticated scanner, your doctor looks at images of your prostate and surrounding organs. They can pinpoint the location of any tumors once the tracer highlights them on the scan. This advanced technology leads to more precise diagnoses and therapies. Learn more about the PSMA PET/CT scan.

Targeted treatment for neuroendocrine tumors (NET)

皇冠hga025大学洛杉矶分校健康中心, 我们提供Lutathera®, a modern treatment for advanced (metastatic) neuroendocrine tumors of the stomach, 肠道或胰腺. These tumors are sometimes called carcinoid tumors. As part of a clinical trial prior to FDA approval, 皇冠hga025大学洛杉矶分校健康 experts treated more patients with Lutathera® than any other medical center in the nation. This means we have significant experience using this therapy. 

卢瑟拉®是一种 peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT), a treatment that targets tumors and de肝s a high dose of radiation to destroy them. When your doctor injects Lutathera® through a vein, it travels through your bloodstream and attaches to the cells of the neuroendocrine tumor. Once it’s attached to these cells, Lutathera® de肝s a targeted dose of radiation to destroy the cancer cells.

Lutathera® (Lutetium 177-DOTATATE) has been shown to reduce disease progression in people with these tumors. To de肝 treatments for NETs, we work closely with a multispecialty team that includes oncologists, 内分泌学家, surgeons and interventional radiologists. Learn more about the 皇冠hga025大学洛杉矶分校健康 neuroendocrine tumor program (NET).

认识我们的团队

Our team includes recognized leaders in the field of nuclear medicine that diagnose, 管理和治疗疾病. We work with specialists in other departments to ensure coordinated care for children and adults. Team Directory >

皇冠hga025

呼叫 310-794-1005 to connect with a 皇冠hga025大学洛杉矶分校健康 nuclear medicine expert.