Atlas University Hospital’s Nuclear Medicine Department offers nuclear medicine applications used in the diagnosis, staging, treatment planning, and post-treatment evaluation of various diseases, utilizing state-of-the-art technological infrastructure.
Thanks to the PET/CT (Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography), gamma camera (scintigraphy), and radionuclide therapy applications used in our department, the functional structure of organs and tissues can be evaluated, contributing to the diagnosis and monitoring of many diseases. In some cases, these methods help to obtain information at the cellular and metabolic level before anatomical changes occur.
Personalized Medicine and Theranostic Approach
In modern medicine, personalized treatment approaches, planned according to the characteristics of the disease and the patient, are becoming increasingly important. Nuclear medicine applications are also an important component of this approach.
One of the advancements in this field, the theranostic approach, is a method that allows for the simultaneous evaluation of diagnostic and treatment processes.
How is Theranostics Applied?
Theranostic applications utilize molecules that can bind to target structures found in specific tumor cells.
In the first stage, these molecules are labeled with radioactive substances for imaging purposes, and then a PET/CT scan is performed. This allows for the assessment of the spread and characteristics of the disease.
In patients deemed suitable based on imaging results, molecules targeting the same substance can be labeled with therapeutic radioactive materials before use. This aims to ensure the treatment acts directly on the target tissues.
Theranostic treatments are planned based on a physician’s assessment, taking into account the type and extent of the disease and the patient’s overall health condition.
In our department, theranostic applications can be used in suitable patients for various diseases, primarily prostate cancer and neuroendocrine tumors.
In which fields is nuclear medicine used?
Nuclear medicine applications can be used for diagnosis and evaluation purposes in oncology, cardiology, neurology, nephrology, endocrinology, and many other medical branches.
- Oncological Applications
- Detection of certain tumors and assessment of their spread.
- Contributing to determining the stage of the disease.
- Evaluation of the response to treatment.
- Investigation of bone metastases
- Planning and implementation of radioactive iodine therapy in thyroid cancers.
- Cardiovascular Diseases
- Assessment of coronary artery disease.
- Examination of blood supply to the heart muscle.
- Assessment of heart muscle viability
- Contributing to certain risk assessments after heart failure and heart attack.
- Kidney and Urinary System Diseases
- Assessment of kidney function.
- Investigation of urinary tract obstructions
- Assessment of kidney damage
- Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) investigations
- Functional follow-up after kidney transplantation.
- Neurological Diseases
- Assessment of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Examinations that help identify epileptic foci.
- Assessment of cerebral blood circulation.
- Lung Diseases
- Evaluation of pulmonary vascular structure using pulmonary perfusion scintigraphy.
- Diagnostic investigations in patients suspected of pulmonary embolism.
- Orthopedic and Bone Diseases
- Investigation of certain bone fractures
- Evaluation of bone and joint infections.
- Examination of specific conditions after prosthetic implantation.
- Endocrine and Other Systemic Diseases
- Evaluation of thyroid and parathyroid diseases.
- Examination of gallbladder function.
- Assessment of digestive system functions.
- Investigation of salivary gland diseases
- Lymphedema assessments
- Investigation of foci of infection and inflammation with an undetermined cause.
Multidisciplinary Approach
The Nuclear Medicine Department of Atlas University Hospital collaborates with related specialties to contribute to the evaluation of patients in diagnosis, treatment planning, and follow-up processes. The procedures performed in our department are planned in accordance with current medical information and national/international guidelines.
