NUCLEAR MEDICINE
The Clinical Nuclear Medicine section is the reference department for diagnostic and therapeutic application of radionuclides in Brooklyn. University Hospital and Kings County Hospital departments operate conjointly under a Broad Radioactive Material Use License granted to the largest facilities. This license allows rapid introduction of the latest isotopic procedures. Both departments have state-of-art all digital multi-detector gamma cameras and processing computers. The University Hospital department was the first to introduce dedicated multi-slice positron emission tomography (PET) for the patients of Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. The department has two full time attendings, both certified by the American Board of Nuclear Medicine. They oversee the full gamut of routine and investigational diagnostic nuclear medicine in these facilities.

NUCLEAR MEDICINE: General Comments
All studies (inpatient and outpatient) are performed in nuclear medicine; a control area devoted exclusively to radioisotopes. Non routine use studies available only by investigational approval must be approved and arranged for by the Division Director. Routine studies are performed M-F 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and must be accompanied by a Nuclear Medicine Consultation Study Request signed by the referring physician. These study requests should indicate specific clinical symptoms and signs as well as other factors as rationale for the requested study. Such clinical information is not only necessary for better interpretation of study results, but is often required to individualize study performance thereby yielding maximum diagnostic information. Nuclear Regulatory Commission requirements also require such written request as well as a Nuclear Medicine attending’s approval of each study request to insure that all radioisotope patient administrations are medically appropriate as determined by such dialogue. All electronic study requests should include a legible Patient Identification, Age, Sex, Height, and Weight, as well as current patient location. All requests must be scheduled. Critically ill patients should not be transported to nuclear medicine without a Nursing Report from the Floor Nurse to the Nuclear Medicine Nurse. All emergency cases performed after hours (see above) must have a physician from the Managing Service in full time attendance of the patient during the after-hours performance of scintigraphy. No portable studies are currently available outside nuclear medicine. No original scintigraphic studies may be taken from the department without the filing of a signed request for removal of such a study. Written consents are not necessary for diagnostic scintigraphy. Patient study preparation is generally unnecessary; however, hepatobiliary scans can be less diagnostic in the non-fasted patient. Iodine containing contrast material should be avoided for a minimum of 3 weeks prior to thyroid radioiodine scintigraphy, as should thionamides for 1 week. Women of childbearing age should be questioned as to the possibility of existent pregnancy and scintigraphy deferred unless the clinical illness supercedes risk to fetus.

Basic Facts

Kings County Hospital Center
Site: A-21
Routine Hours: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Monday to Friday
Tel: 718-245-3696

University Hospital at Brooklyn
Site: A2-621
Routine Hours: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Monday to Friday
Tel: 718-270-1632