Local Lab Uses Nuclear Medicine

Few things sound as dangerous as nuclear radiation, but local doctors are using nuclear medicine to help treat disease.

At Pocatello Cardiology Center, in Portneuf Medical Center doctors inject patients with radioactive isotopes.

As the person runs on a treadmill for a stress test, the radiation gives doctors a clear picture of exactly what is going on in the person’s heart and what needs to be fixed.

Recently the center was reaccredited by the International Commission for the Accreditation of Nuclear Medicine Laboratories.

Dr. Benjamin Call said the recognition proves the Pocatello Nuclear Medicine Unit can match any place in the country.

“The quality of the studies they’re getting here is as good as they’re going to get anywhere in the country. I mean, really, this is a national standard. It’s a very rigorous standard. It’s not easily met,? Call said.

Doctors at the Nuclear Medicine Unit perform more than 1,000 procedures every year.