About Nuclear Medicine
Nuclear medicine exams image bodily function rather than anatomy.
They can be useful in finding problems that are not obvious by looking at the structure of an organ or tissue. This is done with the use of small amounts of radioactive materials, also known as tracers. Each tracer is designed to be attracted to specific organs or types of body tissue. Special cameras that can map the distribution of the radioactive tracer create images which are studied by radiologists.
Nuclear medicine scans are very safe. Nuclear medicine has been used in newborns and children for more than four decades and even longer in adults. There are no known long-term adverse effects from such low-dose exams.
About Glomerular Filtration Rate Renal Studies
A glomerular filtration rate GFR renal study, also known as a Glofil test, is a nuclear medicine exam in which the patient receives an injection of a radioactive tracer followed by blood sampling. The amount of radioactive material circulating in the blood is measured at specific time intervals to check the filtering ability of the kidneys. GFR renal studies may be used to accurately check the kidney function of patients undergoing treatment for kidney disease such as following a kidney transplant.
Exam Locations
The exam is performed at the following Radiology Imaging Associates partner hospitals in the Denver, Colorado area:
- Porter Adventist Hospital