Nuclear medicine technologists work closely with imaging physicians to diagnose and treat disease. The field combines chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer technology and medicine in diagnostic imaging using small amounts of radioactivity. Although many diagnostic imaging techniques are available, nuclear medicine uniquely provides information about both the structure and function of virtually every major organ system in the body. This ability to determine the physiological function of organs separates nuclear medicine from other imaging modalities such as X-ray and MRI. Nuclear medicine procedures are safe, involve little or no patient discomfort and require no anesthesia.
