Nuclear Medicine

The Department of Nuclear Medicine performs diagnostic scans or studies of body organs by injecting small amounts of radioactive material into a patient's veins. With the use of eight nuclear medicine cameras, the Department performs nearly 12,000 procedures annually. Nuclear Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center provides a DEXA machine for Osteoporosis Screening

Osteoporosis Detection Services

Nuclear Medicine at NBIM is equipped with a DEXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) machine, which provides bone-imaging technology. This measures bone mass and assesses an individual's risk for developing osteoporosis and its subsequent fractures. Scans are read by specially-trained nuclear physician and then the results are included in each report to the referring doctor. Physician referral is required.

Osteoporosis Detection Recommendations

Often known as a silent disease, osteoporosis can go undetected until a broken bone occurs. According to the 2004 U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Bone Health and Osteoporosis, 1.5 million older people in this country suffer fractures due to low bone density. Early detection and treatment are invaluable in helping those with osteoporosis to stay as active as possible.

Bone density testing is a safe, quick, non-invasive and painless procedure that detects osteoporosis at its earliest stages, when treatment is most effective. The current recommendation is for women to be screened by having a bone density test around the age of menopause; a repeat test every two years on the same machine is usually recommended.

Please call 973-926-7722 for an appointment.