UCLH’s nuclear medicine department can diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions, from tumours (both cancer and benign tumours), inflammation, and infections to blood circulation issues and problems with organ function.
Our nuclear medicine department is one of the largest in the UK, seeing over 20,000 patients a year and 150-200 patients a day across our different scanners.
What is nuclear medicine?
Tiny amounts of radioactive substances are introduced into the body to create radioactive tracers, which will show up in a scan and can pinpoint accurately the source of your health problem.
There are little to no side effects from nuclear medicine; they are minimally invasive and use no dyes. The volume of radioactive substances used is very small and extremely safe.
Depending on your symptoms and the type of scan you will have, the radioactive medicine can be taken orally (by mouth) or injected. The majority of the medicine is given in a vein and can be given via Hickmann or PICC line.
A PET (positron emission tomography) scan then produces detailed, three-dimensional images of the inside of your body. The PET scan detects radiation given off by the injected radioactive tracer as it collects in your body, clearly showing any abnormal areas and highlighting how well certain functions of your body are working.
A PET scan, or another type of nuclear medicine scan known as a SPECT (single photon emission computerised tomography) scan is often performed in combination with a CT or MRI scan. The CT or MRI scan shows the anatomy of the body, while the SPECT/PET scan shows how the body is functioning. By combining these scans, our clinicians are better able to visualise the way your body is working and accurately define the exact location and extent of any problems.
We also offer DEXA scans to analyse bone density.
What conditions can nuclear medicine be used to diagnose?
You may require nuclear medicine to investigate any of these concerns:
• Bone imaging: to investigate bone disease and pain
• Oncology imaging: to diagnose tumours as well as a treatment option
• Cardiac imaging: to review problems with the heart
• Neuroimaging: to investigate brain conditions, including movement disorders, dementia and epilepsy
• Endocrine imaging: identifying thyroid tumours in readiness for surgery and to diagnose thyroiditis and Graves disease.
• Sentinel node mapping: to identify lymphatic drainage from tumour sites and locate the sentinel nodes for surgical removal and testing.
Why choose UCLH?
You will be seen by our friendly and multi-disciplinary team who work within the Institute of Nuclear Medicine (INM) at UCLH.
Our team participates in internationally recognised research programmes with University College London and other external collaborators, putting us at the forefront of new developments in this field.
As a team, we commissioned the first PET/MR scanner in the UK in the Macmillan Cancer Centre of UCLH. From that point, we have worked or are working on a broad range of research studies and trials that use advanced MR and PET scanning techniques to target diseases in neurology, cardiology, oncology, and immunity/inflammation.
We have a wide range of state-of-the-art equipment, including three dedicated PET/CT scanners, a PETMR scanner, and four SPECT/CT systems, including two with diagnostic CT capability. Our PETMR scanner is a suitable option where a CT scan is not recommended for medical reasons, for example, in pregnant women or young people. In 2024, we installed our more recent scanner, which gives us the capability to scan patients in under 10 minutes, compared to 30 minutes for other scanners.
We will see you as an outpatient or daycase, which means you won’t need to stay in hospital overnight. We are also able to offer PET scans under general anaesthetic if it is a more appropriate option for you.
Arranging an appointment
Referrals will need to be made to UCLH Private Healthcare by your GP or consultant. Details of how they can refer are on our referrers page on this website.