Bruce J. Barron

Nuclear Medicine Specialist

2159 Tillingham Court Dunwoody Georgia, 30338 Show map

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About

Dr. Bruce Barron practices Nuclear Medicine in Dunwoody, Georgia. Dr. Barron uses procedures and treatments that apply molecular imaging and molecular therapy. Nuclear Medicine Physicians are trained and certified to provide such procedures as skeletal imaging, glucose metabolic imaging, brain perfusion, blood pool imaging, and thyroid imaging, among many others.

Education and Training

University of South Florida College of Medicine

Board Certification

American Board of Pediatrics- Pediatrics; American Board of Internal Medicine- Nuclear Medicine

Provider Details

MaleEnglish 49 years of experience

Bruce J. Barron

Bruce J. Barron's Expert Contributions

My Answers

Is a nuclear medicine technologist a good job?
Any technologist job in radiology is a good job. Most jobs entail some weekend and night call. MRI and ultrasound techs seem to make more. Nuclear medicine has been having a rebirth with new agents and therapies. Go for it. READ MORE
When did nuclear medicine first begin?
Nuclear medicine began as an offshoot of pathology. First studies using a probe and isotopes probably began in the 1950s. Probes were used to evaluate renal function and thyroid uptake of iodine. Radioactive I-131 was used for uptake measurements and therapy of overactive glands. Rectilinear scanners were developed in the 1960s and provided a very crude image. The Anger camera gradually replaced rectilinear scanners which were still being used into the 1980s. Early images were recorded on Polaroid film and later onto photographic film needing development. The Society of Nuclear Medicine as it currently stands was founded in about 1970 with a separate board for certification. Numerous stories about early nuclear medicine are available on line. READ MORE
Do you wear masks while studying nuclear medicine?
There are generally no fumes in nuclear medicine. No masks are needed. READ MORE
How do you prevent toxic spills?
Despite safety precautions occasional spills happen. These are usually low dose isotopes. Much more stringent precautions are taken with high dose isotopes. First, an absorbent sheet is placed over the spill. Traffic is diverted around the spill area. Staff members have their shoes checked with a Geiger counter. Radiation safety officer is called. Wearing protective clothing, the spill is scrubbed until there is no more radiation detected. READ MORE
Can you become poisoned from nuclear medicine?
While there may be toxicities from large dose therapies, poisoning from routine nuclear medicine procedures has not been reported. READ MORE
Does nuclear medicine and radiology work hand in hand?
Nuclear Medicine is now generally a division of nuclear medicine. It is called nuclear because the photons emitted for Imaging come from the nucleus. Thus we image the emissions of photons. X-rays come from the electron shell. Imaging is done through transmission. That is the x-rays pass through soft tissues at different rates of absorption. Nuclear medicine generally looks at physiology and radiology at anatomy. Many times the images are combined as in a PET/CT scan. The functional image is overlaid atop the anatomical one. The answer to your question is that there is a strong relationship between other branches of radiology and nuclear medicine. READ MORE
Do nuclear medicine specialists do radiology work?
Nuclear Medicine started as a division of pathology. A separate nuclear medicine specialty became available in the early 1970’s. Those early practitioners still around for the most part were nuclear specialists only. With time nuclear medicine doctors started doing some radiology studies such as CT. Many nuclear medicine specialists now are board certified radiologists as a dedicated nuclear medicine specialist is fading by the wayside. I was a nuclear medicine physician who learned to interpret CT scans. For those considering NM, radiology is the way to go. There is now a program for radiology residents to do nuclear medicine in their senior year and become board certified in both. Good luck. READ MORE
What GPA do you need in college to be a nuclear medicine specialist?
If you are talking about becoming a nuclear medicine technologist you will need better than average grades in science. If you are talking about going to medical school, that is a whole different issue. For med school most GPAs are above 3.6. If you want to go the technologists route you will be better off at a degree program. You can check SNMMI.org Website. READ MORE
How are diseases diagnosed in nuclear medicine?
There are expected normal patterns of uptake of radiotracer in the body. Abnormally increased or decreased uptake may signify a disease. Some radiotracers are directed towards receptors for various tumors. If the tracer localizes receptors then there is probably an abnormality. Often a CT is obtained at same time to see exactly where the tracer localizes. If abnormal uptake is seen in an abnormality on CT, likely there is disease. READ MORE
Is a scintigraphy similar to an x-ray?
No. X-rays pass through the body and different tissues have differences in attenuation that create contrasting images. Scintigraphy occurs when the radioactive isotope is in one’s body and emits radiation captured by imaging cameras. Scintigraphy generally represents physiologic function and x-ray represent anatomy. READ MORE
Is radiotherapy effective for prostate cancer?
Yes and no. Intensity modulated radiation therapy does work on lower grade tumors. The most important aspect is to correctly outline the prostate with fiducial markers. In my case they were off, leaving a bit of untreated tumor. There are new therapies at Radboud Medical Center in the Netherlands that use cryotherapy to zap the entire prostate. Similar therapies may be available at the Mayo Clinic. In the best of scenarios, 95% of tumors can be cured with IMRT. Be careful who you choose. READ MORE
Is radiation therapy safe?
The goal of radiation therapy is to kill the tumor with radiation. Unfortunately, the beams don’t distinguish between cancerous and normal tissue. The side effects from the radiation are far better than letting the tumor run its course. Newer radiotherapies can better target the tumors, but side effects still occur. READ MORE
Can pelvic radiation cause bowel incontinence?
Sometimes, pelvic radiotherapy causes the small blood vessels in the bowel to become more fragile and may cause the bowel to narrow. These changes lead to symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, leaking (incontinence) or bleeding from the back passage READ MORE
Is it dangerous to have a nuclear stress test?
A nuclear stress test is performed with a cardiologist in presence. Either treadmill or pharmacologic stress is relatively safe. Patients with seizure disorders can not use standard drugs for stressing. No side effects. You won’t glow in the dark. READ MORE
How long does a nuclear heart scan take?
It depends. A stress (exercise or pharmacologic) has two parts, the resting scan and the exercise part. Some places do the resting scan first (30 min) and then wait a while, do the stress, re-inject, and wait 40 minutes to do the 2nd scan. A cardiac PET scan is much faster. No caffeine for 24 hours before either scan; hold beta blockers. READ MORE
How treatable is stage 4 soft tissue sarcoma?
I am not an expert, but generally they are poor responders. READ MORE
What is a scintigraphy?
A scuntigram is a nuclear medicine scan. Photons from the radiotracer injected and winding up in the lungs gives of light, hence the scintigram. I would refer to this study as a ventilation/perfusion lung scan. READ MORE
Is an MRI with contrast safe for kids?
Generally, a child’s medical condition is reviewed prior to administering contrast. Chronic renal failure and severe disability may cause reactions from contrast. There should be no side effects in your son’s case. The has been some concern about the contrast staying around for a long time, but definite causality of problems has not been established. READ MORE
Can nuclear medicine help in treating cancer?
Nuclear medicine has long been able to treat certain cancers with radioisotopes. The old standard is using radioiodine to treat thyroid cancer. We also use radiolabeled beads to infuse into liver tumors, with some degree of success. Recently radiolabeled receptor agents have been used to treat neuroendocrine tumors with some success. Newer cancer agents commune and immune stimulating factor with a chemotherapy agent. Some are tagged with a therapeutic radioisotope. With the exceptions listed above, other nuclear medicine therapies are often non-specific and can kill normal tissue as well. Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet. READ MORE
How is nuclear medicine used to treat thyroid cancer?
Radioactive iodine is the ideal therapeutic agent for well differentiated thyroid cancer. The iodine (I-131) is administered as a capsule. The iodine goes to the thyroid (normal and cancerous) and kills the cells. The dose of I-131 is dependent on the specifics of the tumor and whether or not there is metastatic disease elsewhere. After thyroidectomy, thyroid hormone is suspended for a while or the patient may receive two intramuscular injections of a thyroid stimulating hormone. A small dose of I-131 is administered to see how much and where thyroid tissue is left. After receiving radioactive iodine, there are some quarantine issues to prevent exposure to others. READ MORE