The Department of Nuclear Medicine of The Division of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging of the Sheba Medical Center conducts laboratory and radiopharmacy activities for non-imaging procedures as well as imaging.

Imaging investigations include: clinical work and research, dynamic and static, planar and tomographic (SPECT) radioisotope scans using state-of-the art procedures, materials and methods, some of which were originally developed in the department. Examples of this include: brain and whole body SPECT and PET, and whole body scans with radiolabeled FDG, anti-CEA antibodies, Somatostatine analog and others, for oncologic, infection, endocrine, cardiovascular, bone and cerbro-vascular diseases.

The Department's Imaging equipment includes four tomographic gamma cameras with a triple-head Co-PET camera for FDG scanning.

Laboratory procedures conducted by the Department include: Thyroid uptake, Hematology procedures and in-vitro cellular labeling, blood volume, and quality assurance testing. The laboratory equipment includes: gamma-probes, radionuclide labeling sterile laminar-flow-hood facilities, gamma-counters and clinical laboratory equipment.

The Department is a National Center for Brain SPECT in Brain Trauma in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The Department is affiliated with the Sackler School of Medicine and is part of the Imaging Division.  The department staff participates in lecturing at clinical clerkships, in students' elective tutorials, thesis supervision and faculty committees.

The Department is activity engaged in research projects that involved evaluation, assessment and design of new radiopharmaceuticals (clinical trials), imaging methods (beta- siting of new equipment), and therapies. The Department's current research topics and activities include: 

• Brain SPECT in head Trauma
• Brain SPECT/PET in Epilepsy
• Brain SPECT in obsessive-compulsive disorders
• Brain SPECT in Parkinson's Disease (DAT Scan) (partially Sponsored by Amersham Co., U.K.).
• Combined F-18-FDG and Na-F-18 in oncological investigations (partially sponsored by Soreq Co., Israel)
• Combined radio-iodine and FDG investigation in non-iodophyllic well differentiated Thyroid Cancer
• Quantitative parameters in PET - experiment with phantom simulation (collaborative project with Emory University. Hospital. Atlanta, Georgia, USA)
• Utilization of gamma-probes in focused parathyroidectomy with technetium-99m-sestamibi and SPECT
• Radioiodine therapy in management of childhood Thyroid Cancer

Some of the Department's developments include: advanced Positron imaging and research has been developed, with a Co-incidence-Positron-Emission-Tomography (Co-PET) camera, using Fluro-deoxyglucose (FDG) in Oncology and brain diseases.

Department at a Glance
Director - Prof. Tzila Zwas Prof. Zwas was born in Poland in 1945 and immigrated to Israel in 1950.  She received her M.D., with distinction, from the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, in 1972. She was board certified in Nuclear Medicine in 1977 and was a Fellow at the Long Island Jewish Center (1971-72) and New York University Medical Center (1977-79). She was appointed Director of the department in 1992. In 1990 she was appointed Associate Professor of Nuclear Medicine at the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University. Research activities include developing and implementing groundbreaking technologies and using advanced tools in nuclear medicine. She has on-going collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency and has been awarded major grants for developing new radiopharmaceuticals. University research grants and funds have been received for Oncology studies, particularly tumor imaging. Her internationally published classification of stress injuries in the early 1980s has been accepted as a diagnostic gold standard. Another major contribution to Nuclear Medicine is her study of parathyroid pre- and intra-operative imaging.  In 1997 Prof. Zwas established the Brain SPECT Center for Traumatic Brain Injuries under the sponsorship of the IAEA. Professional posts include Presidency of the Israeli Society of Nuclear Medicine, Chair of the Nuclear Medicine Board Examination Committee, and member of the European Association's Nuclear Medicine Task Group on Education. She is also a member of the IAEA International Advisory Committee and the American Society of Nuclear Medicine. She has also been on numerous ad-hoc and permanent Advisory Committees to the Israeli Ministry of Health. Prof. Zwas's academic contributions in the Sackler School of Medicine include over 20 years of coordinating the Nuclear Medicine courses in the School of Continuing Medical Education and establishing the Nuclear Medicine syllabus.  Scientific publications include over 75 journal articles, three books and six contributed chapters.
E-mail - Tzila.Zwas@sheba.health.gov.il
Tel - 972-3-530-2704

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