Radionuclide Scanning

**Semantic type:** Diagnostic Procedure

**Definition:** A radionuclide scan is an imaging technique that uses a small dose of a radioactive chemical (isotope) called a tracer that can detect sites of cancer growth, trauma, infection or degenerative disorders. The tracer, which is either injected into a vein or swallowed, travels through the bloodstream to the target organ, and emits gamma rays, which are detected by a gamma camera and analyzed by a computer to form an image of the target organ.

**Synonyms:** - Scan - Scanning - Scintigraphy - radionuclide scanning