Clinical Services

SGH Department of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging provides the most comprehensive range of radionuclide imaging and therapy procedures and endocrine immunoassays in Singapore and the region.

Nuclear Medicine Imaging

General Nuclear Medicine Imaging

Bone scintigraphy for assessment of bone metastases and other skeletal abnormalities.
Nuclear cardiology with myocardial perfusion imaging, radionuclide gated-ventriculography, cardiac first-pass study and Tc-99m pyrophosphate imaging for cardiac amyloidosis.
CNS imaging, e.g. brain perfusion imaging for cerebrovascular insufficiency and brain death, DaTSCAN imaging in neurodegenerative disease, cisternoscintigraphy for CSF leak.
Renal imaging including renography, captopril studies and renal cortical imaging.
Thyroid scintigraphy for assessment of thyroid nodules and thyroid function (with correlative ultrasound).
Parathyroid scintigraphy for localisation of parathyroid lesions in hyperparathyroidism (with correlative ultrasound).
Gastrointestinal studies e.g. radiolabelled red blood cells scan, Meckel's scan, hepatobiliary scan, gastric emptying study, liver-spleen scan and peritoneal scan.
Lung studies including V/Q scan for pulmonary embolism and lung perfusion scan for lung function quantification prior to surgery.
I-131 MIBG imaging for neuroblastomas / neuroendocrine tumours.
Lymphoscintigraphy for lymphoedema.
Sentinel node scintigraphy for breast cancers and melanoma.
Radionuclide occult lesion localisation (ROLL) for breast cancers.
Radiolabelled white blood cells scan for infection localisation.
Tc-99m DMSA (V) imaging for medullary thyroid carcinoma.

Bone Densitometry

Bone densitometry (DXA).
Densitometric vertebral fracture assessment (VFA).

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

PET is an advanced molecular imaging technique for oncology, cardiology, neurology and infection/inflammation. Integrated PET/CT scanner provides functional information with anatomic correlation. Current PET tracers include:

F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) for tumour and infection imaging, to assess myocardial viability and for the work-up of early dementia and refractory epilepsy
Ga-68 DOTATATE and analogues for neuroendocrine and other somatostatin receptor positive tumours
Ga-68 PSMA ligand for prostate cancer
F-18 flutemetamol (Vizamyl) for amyloid imaging

Find out more about preparing for your PET/CT Scan >

Nuclear Medicine Therapy

Radioiodine Therapy

Oral administration of I-131 for the treatment of thyrotoxicosis (e.g. Graves’ disease, toxic multinodular goitre or toxic adenoma) and differentiated thyroid carcinomas.

Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT)

Local radiation therapy for liver tumours. The procedure is performed in close coordination with interventional radiologists by delivering radioactive Y-90 microspheres into the arteries supplying the tumours.

Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT)

Molecular targeted therapy for inoperable metastatic well- or moderately-differentiated neuroendocrine tumours. The treatment is performed with intravenous administration of radioactive somatostatin analogue (e.g. Lu-177 or Y-90-labeled radiopeptide).

I-131 MIBG Therapy

Systemically administered radionuclide therapy used in the treatment of inoperable metastatic neuroectodermal tumours such as phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma.

Radiosynovectomy

Intra-articular radionuclide therapy to treat chronic joint synovitis or synovial processes, e.g. rheumatoid arthritis and haemophilic synovitis.

Bone Pain Palliative Therapy

Bone-seeking radiopharmaceuticals used for the palliation of pain from bone metastases.

Radionuclide Therapy for Advanced Prostate Cancer

Molecular targeted therapy for inoperable metastatic prostate cancer.

Non-Imaging Nuclear Medicine Tests

Cr-51 EDTA renal clearance study for evaluation of glomerular filtration rate
Helicobacter pylori C-14 breath test (Urea Breath Test)
Hormone immunoassays for assessing thyroid, fertility and metabolic functions (from our Endocrine Laboratories)

Production of Radiopharmaceuticals

Our radiochemistry laboratory synthesizes a comprehensive range of radiopharmaceuticals for in-house use as well as for sale to other centres in Singapore. Our staff also manage the operations of the Positron Tracers Pte Ltd (PTPL) cyclotron facility (a GMP-certified radiochemistry facility for synthesis of FDG) which is a 3-partner joint venture company, physically located in our department.