Advantages of nuclear medicine procedures compared with other imaging modalities
- Provide functional information that is either not available by other modalities or is obtained at greater expense or patient risk.
- High-contrast resolution (target-to-background ratio) can be achieved in many instances by nuclear medicine techniques, allowing diagnostic studies despite poor spatial resolution.
- Relatively noninvasive studies are the rule in nuclear medicine. They require only injection of a radioactive dose or swallowing of a substance, followed by imaging.