When an X-ray or CT scan cannot reveal a problem, nuclear medicine may be able to find the answer.
The Nuclear Medicine department at Shelby Memorial Hospital is part of the Radiology Department. It is equipped with its own camera which traces radioactive compounds through the body’s organs.
Tim Parker has been the nuclear medicine technologist at SMH for two years. Prior to coming to Shelbyville, he worked at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Effingham for 11 years and with the United States Air Force for a total of 25 years in nuclear medicine.
Although the nuclear medicine department is not new to the hospital, it is one of the lesser known services offered.
“Mostly what we do here is cardiac studies, but we offer a wide variety of studies,” Parker said. Other common studies include gall bladder, thyroid, and bone scans, as well as infection studies and pulmonary scans for blood clots. It shows how well an organ is working.
The patient is injected with or swallows radioactive compounds and cameras trace the compounds through the body. The radioactive tracers concentrate in areas of increased physical function, such as a healing fracture. It can also detect cancerous areas.
The pictures are taken over a period of time, sometimes as much as an hour, as the compounds travels through and out of the body.
“A majority of the studies we do are cardiac stress/rest tests. It shows how well the blood is flowing to the left ventricle of the heart and looks for blockages of the vessels,” Parker said.
The nuclear studies are the functional side of imaging. Most tests begin with an X-ray or CT scan, which are one or more images at one point in time. If the image is inconclusive as to the patient’s problem, a nuclear study will then be ordered.
“The X-rays and CT scans are the basis for the nuclear imaging. They all really rely on each other,” Parker said. “Nuclear studies compliment the radiology field.”
The amount of radiation involved in a nuclear study is minimal.
“A CT scan exposes a patient to more radiation than the nuclear study,” Parker said.
“Our local doctors are happy with the service provided here. Patients are happy that it can be done here and not have to travel to Springfield, Decatur or Effingham,” Parker said.
The camera used in the nuclear studies is a 1996 refurbished camera. Parker said that cameras are always improving to offer more detail in the images.
“It is an excellent camera for this hospital,” he said.
Before Parker came to work full time for Shelby Memorial Hospital, the hospital had to contract out for a part time technician who served just a couple of days a week.
“We’re tickled to death to have our own equipment and our own technician,” said Shelby Memorial Hospital CEO John Bennett. “We now have a full time tech available every day.”
“Shelby Memorial Hospital is a good hospital to work for. It has a good radiology department. It has a good administration. We offer a good service to people,” Parker said.
“I enjoy nuclear medicine and I enjoy getting to know the patients,” he said. “Nuclear medicine and radiology are the jobs of the future.”
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