Nuclear Cardiology Laboratory
Directors: Thomas H. Hauser, MD (Cardiology), and Gerald Kolodny, MD (Nuclear Medicine)
Appointments: 617-667-2071
Cardiology and Nuclear Medicine Collaboration
The CVI’s Nuclear Cardiology Laboratory is a collaborative effort between the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and the Nuclear Medicine Division of BIDMC’s Department of Radiology. We provide diagnostic services for outpatients and inpatients, including, for heart patients, cardiac perfusion exams using rapid heart scans.
Nuclear Cardiac Perfusion Study
A nuclear cardiac perfusion study is a non-invasive, painless tool that uses small amounts of radioactive materials to create images of the heart’s blood flow. Nuclear studies allow physicians to evaluate the heart’s pumping action and the extent and severity of coronary artery disease (including heart attacks). Nuclear studies also help doctors assess chest pain (angina) and evaluate the success of bypass surgery or stent placement, among other things.
Radioactive Material Detected by A Gamma Camera
In conventional X-ray or CT studies, the radiation comes out of a machine and then passes through the patient's body. Nuclear medicine exams use the opposite approach: a radioactive material is introduced into the patient's body (usually by injection), and is then detected by a machine called a gamma camera.
New Gamma Camera
We recently obtained a new gamma camera that can obtain heart images in less than half the time of conventional cameras, decreasing the amount of time that a patient needs to spend in the laboratory for the study. The information from the gamma camera is then transferred to a computer that develops images of the heart blood flow and pumping action.
First Facility in the World to Become "All-Digital"
The Division of Nuclear medicine has been at the cutting edge of image transfer and data storage technologies since the 1980's. We developed the first facility in the world to become "all-digital" and we have continued to improve and refine our data storage and display technologies. All studies since the late 1987 are online and available for your doctor’s viewing within seconds.
Fully Accredited by American College of Radiology
The Nuclear Medicine Division at BIDMC is fully accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR).
