Nuclear Medicine Scan in Spanish

What it means

A nuclear medicine scan is a method that uses radioactive substances to make pictures of areas inside the body, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) dictionary, which adds that it is also called radioimaging. MedlinePlus, which titles its page Nuclear Scans, describes a nuclear scan as a type of medical imaging test that uses a small amount of radioactive material, called a radiotracer, and that shows how organs and tissues are working, not just what they look like. The radiotracer may be given as an injection, a pill or liquid to swallow, or a gas to inhale. Afterward, a special camera detects the radiation coming from inside the body. MedlinePlus says nuclear scans are commonly used to perform bone scans and to evaluate the thyroid.

Spanish term: Gammagrafía (Medicina Nuclear)
Gender and article: feminine: la gammagrafía
Pronunciation: gah-mah-grah-FEE-ah (meh-dee-SEE-nah noo-kleh-AHR)

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
gammagrafía	General	The one-word form: MedlinePlus en español gives it as another name for its nuclear scan page, and the Spanish dictionary has an entry for it.
escanografía nuclear	General	Title of the MedlinePlus en español page that corresponds to the English page Nuclear Scans.
exploración de medicina nuclear	General	Headword of the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary entry that corresponds to nuclear medicine scan.
radioimaginología	General	Another name given at the end of the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary entry.

No cited page prints the headword Gammagrafía (Medicina Nuclear) in that exact form. MedlinePlus en español titles its page Escanografía nuclear and gives Gammagrafía as another name; the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary enters the term as exploración de medicina nuclear and says it is also called radioimaginología. The Spanish dictionary defines gammagrafía, a feminine noun, as a radiological technique that records the gamma radiation emitted by an organ to which a substance emitting that radiation has first been given.

MedlinePlus en español calls the radiotracer trazador radiactivo and names una gammacámara among the imaging devices. Bone scans are gammagrafías óseas, and the specialist who reviews the images is radiólogo. The NCI Spanish dictionary speaks of sustancias radiactivas and of images made by una máquina especial. The same MedlinePlus en español page keeps the abbreviations SPECT and PET for two kinds of scanner.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Clinician	I am ordering a nuclear medicine scan to see how your thyroid is working.	Voy a pedirle una gammagrafía para ver cómo está funcionando la tiroides.
Patient	Is it the same as an X-ray or a CT scan?	¿Es lo mismo que una radiografía o una tomografía computarizada?
Clinician	No. For this test you receive a small amount of radioactive tracer, and a special camera takes the pictures.	No. Para esta prueba se le administra una pequeña cantidad de trazador radiactivo, y una cámara especial toma las imágenes.
Patient	Will the tracer be an injection or something I swallow?	¿El trazador será una inyección o algo que tengo que tragar?
Clinician	Are you pregnant, could you be pregnant, or are you breastfeeding?	¿Está embarazada, podría estarlo, o está amamantando?
Patient	How long does the scan take? Do I have to come back later?	¿Cuánto dura la prueba? ¿Tengo que regresar más tarde?
Clinician	Please lie on the table and stay as still as you can.	Por favor, acuéstese en la camilla y quédese lo más inmóvil que pueda.
Patient	When will radiology send the results to my doctor?	¿Cuándo enviará radiología los resultados a mi médico?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Nuclear Medicine Scan
Spanish (Español)	Gammagrafía (Medicina Nuclear)
Chinese (中文)	核醫學掃描
Korean (한국어)	핵의학 스캔
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Chụp xạ hình (y học hạt nhân)
Filipino (Tagalog)	Nuclear Medicine Scan
Portuguese (Português)	Cintilografia (Medicina Nuclear)
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	การสแกนด้วยเวชศาสตร์นิวเคลียร์
Japanese (日本語)	核医学検査（シンチグラフィ）

Where you'll see it

radiology reportchartEOBbillreferral

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: General care: tests, procedures and medicines

All terms in this area: General care: tests, procedures and medicines — Atención general: pruebas, procedimientos y medicamentos

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.