Specialist Services

Nuclear Medicine 

Frequently asked questions

Nuclear medicine is a relatively new diagnositic technique where

radio-isotopes are injected into the body to study various organ functions. Images of these functions are recorded using a gamma camera.

Larger doses of radio-isotopes are also given as a form of radiation therapy to treat some forms of cancer.

We have areas of particular interest at Gladesville. The first of these is in the diagnosis and treatment of hyperthyroidism in cats where we now have experience in over 1500 cases of this disease.

Thyroid cancer in the dog is a relatively rare and often fatal disease but treatment with radioactive iodine can often halt the progress for extended periods of time.

Bone cancer or Osteosarcoma in dogs is a devastating disease with a very high mortality rate. While cures for this disease are elusive we have been using a radioisotope Samarium 153 to successfully alleviate the pain and temporarily stop the tumour growth in some dogs.

Lameness in dogs in particular can sometimes be very difficult to diagnose accurately and performing bone scans in these dog can often highlight the problem where normal radiographic techniques have failed.