Your visit to a nuclear medicine department
Everything you need to know before, during and after your appointment.
Where can you find a nuclear medicine department?
Most Belgian hospitals have a nuclear medicine department. This means you will usually not have to travel far for a routine test.
Some specialised tests and treatments, such as certain PET scans or radioligand therapy, are available only in selected hospitals. If you need one of these, your doctor will refer you to a hospital that provides it.
How do you make an appointment?
You need a referral from a doctor, either your GP or a specialist, for a test or treatment. Once you have this referral, you can contact the nuclear medicine department to make an appointment. Depending on the hospital, you can do this by phone or online.
What to bring to your appointment
- Your electronic identity card (eID).
- Your doctor’s referral.
- A list of your medicines.
- Results or images from previous tests, if you have them.
Please arrive on time and let the department know if you cannot attend. The radioactive medicine is often prepared especially for you on the day of your appointment. Its radioactivity decreases quickly, so it can only be used for a limited time and cannot be kept for another day.
How much does it cost?
Most nuclear medicine tests and treatments are covered by Belgium’s compulsory health insurance system, through your health insurance fund. You usually pay a small share of the cost yourself, known as a co-payment.
If you are unsure, ask the hospital department or your health insurance fund about the cost before your appointment.
Who will care for you?
A team of healthcare professionals looks after you:
- The nuclear medicine specialist: a doctor who decides which test is most suitable, interprets the images and provides nuclear medicine treatments.
- The medical imaging technologist or nurse: welcomes you, administers the radiopharmaceutical, helps you get into the right position and takes the images.
- The radiopharmacist: prepares the radioactive medicines and checks their quality.
- The medical physicist: helps ensure that radiation doses are accurate and used safely.
Strict safety controls
In Belgium, the medical use of radioactive medicines is strictly regulated by law. The Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC) issues licences, inspects departments and checks that staff have the required training. Each test is planned to use the smallest amount of radioactive medicine needed to obtain reliable results.
Your results
The nuclear medicine specialist reviews your images and writes a report. This is sent to your referring doctor, usually within a few days. Your doctor will discuss the results and the next steps with you.
You can often also read the report online through your hospital’s patient portal or through My Health. The report is written for doctors, so it may contain unfamiliar medical terms. If anything worries you, discuss it with your doctor.
This information is general and does not replace advice from your doctor. Always follow your hospital’s instructions.
