Nuclear Medicine uses "tracer," or small amounts of radioactive materials to generate functional images as well as structural information about the body.  These radioactive materials, or radiopharmaceuticals, may be admiinistered intravenously (IV), orally (mouth), or inhalation (breathing); the route of administration depends upon the examination being performed. 

After administering the tracer, a special detector called a gamma camera is used to measure the activity inthe body; computers generate images of this activity; the images may also be further analyzed by special computer programs.  Sometimes the imaging is done immediately; sometimes there are waiting periods before pictures are created.

Florida Hospital Waterman offers many different types of nuclear medicine exams, including bone scans, renal scans, thyroid scans, lung scans, gallbladder scans, sentinel lymph node mapping, and cardiac stress tests.