My Nuclear Medicine Test - What you need to know about Radiation - North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust

Information for patients
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A nuclear medicine test involves giving you a small amount of a radioactive dye. We can then see where this goes in the body or how your body processes it. Each nuclear medicine test is performed for a specific purpose.

This leaflet will explain the potential risks from the small amounts of radioactive substances used in nuclear medicine tests. It does not apply to other kinds of imaging such as ultrasound and MRI imaging.

Why am I having a nuclear medicine test?

Nuclear medicine tests have many uses including:

To help find out what is wrong with you
To check on progress of an illness or injury
to help determine chemotherapy drug dosage
to help carry out surgery as part of your diagnosis/treatment
to provide your doctor with other clinical information

The healthcare professionals involved in your test always check that the benefit of having the test is greater than the risk from the small amount of radioactive substance given.

Nuclear medicine tests use a small amount of radioactive substance to see how your body works. You will be radioactive for a short while after your test – normally just for 1 day. Radioactive substances like X-rays are capable of causing a process known as ionisation.

Nuclear medicine covers a large range of studies. The table below lists many of the tests we perform. Your healthcare team should tell you which test they would like you to have.

Are there any risks in using ionising radiation?

We are all exposed to background radiation every day. Any amount of radiation has potential ill health effects (very small increased chance of cancer).

We are all at risk of developing cancer during our lifetime. The normal risk is that this will happen to about 50% of people at some point in their life (1 in 2).

The table below tells you how much radiation you are likely to get from different types of nuclear medicine tests, compared to other every day activities, and how this may affect your cancer risk.

Further risk comparisons can be found at Gov.UK

Type of nuclear medicine test	Typical equivalent background radioation	Number of people who may be affected	Risk level
Lacrimal drainage, sentinel lymph node, red cell volume, plasma volume, GFR; Lymphoscintigraphy; spleen.	<1 week 1 to 2 weeks 2 to 4 weeks	Fewer than 1 in 100,000	Minimal
MAG3 (renogram), SeHCAT, Gastric Emptying, GI Bleed (RBC); Thyroid, salivary, micturating cystogram, oesophageal, DMSA (renal cortex); HIDA (hepatobiliary), meckels, bones scan, white cell, MIBG (cardiac imaging in Parkinsons+), Lung perfusion.	1 to 3 months 3 to 6 months 6 to 12 months	Fewer than 1 in 10,000	Very low
Bone marrow, MPS (stress only), MUGA, DatSCAN, Tektrotyd (Octreotide); Lung VQ, MIBG (neuroendocrine), MPS (stress & rest); parathyroid, gallium.	1 to 2 years 2 to 3 years 3 to 4 years	Fewer than 1 in 1,000	Low

In comparison to the following:	Equivalent background radiation	Number of people who may be affected	Risk level
Hit by lightning	N/A	Fewer than 1 in 1,000,000	Negligible
Transatlantic slight	10 days	Fewer than 1 in 100,000	Minimal
Fatal accident on the railway	N/A	Fewer than 1 in 100,000	Minimal
UK average annual radiation dose	1 year	Fewer than 1 in 10,000	Very low
Fatal accident at home	N/A	Fewer than 1 in 10,000	Very low
Average annual radon dose to people in Cornwall	1 to 4 years	Fewer than 1 in 1,000	Low
Fatal accident on the road	N/A	Fewer than 1 in 1,000	Low

What if I may be pregnant or if I am chest/breastfeeding?

You should tell your healthcare team if there is any possibility of being pregnant or if you are chest/breastfeeding.

Exposure of an unborn baby to ionising radiation may cause a slight increase in the cancer risk to them. Nuclear medicine tests are often avoided in pregnancy, unless the risk of not performing the test is greater.

Our radioactive dyes can be expressed in human milk. The nuclear medicine team will give you advice on how to reduce the risk to a chest/breastfeeding baby. You may be advised to discard the milk that you produce and swap to a suitable formula for a short period of time.

What about children?

Younger people have a slightly increased risk from exposure to ionising radiation and radioactive materials. The healthcare team take account of this when deciding if a child needs a nuclear medicine test, and the amount of radioactivity used is kept as low as possible.

What if I don’t have the test?

The risk of not having the test is that it may not be possible to find out what is wrong with you, or how best to treat you. You should discuss any concerns with your healthcare team.

What if I have more questions?

Please talk to your doctor or any of the team carrying out your nuclear medicine test if you would like to discuss any of this further.

Information produced by:

Northern Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, July 2023.

References

Notes for guidance on the clinical administration of radiopharmaceuticals and use of sealed radioactive sources, Administration of Radioactive Substances Advisory Committee (2023).
Radiation Risk from Medical X-ray Examinations as a Function of the Age and Sex of the Patient (HPA-CRCE-028), Health Protection Agency (2011).
Ionising Radiation Exposure of the UK Population: 2010 Review (PHE-CRCE-0.26), Public Health England (2010)

Comments, concerns, compliments or complaints

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Telephone: 01642 624719

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