How long does it take for the nuclear medicine procedures to take effect? is it a long process and how costly is it usually?

Unfortunately, : Unfortunately, your question is too broad and open-ended to be able to give you a reasonable answer. If you are asking about a specific treatment, such as "thyroid cancer ablation" or a diagnostic test, such as a "lung scan, " you would expect two very different answers.

Varies: Different nuclear medicine procedures involve different amounts of time for test, varying from hour to several hours. When you schedule the particular test, the facility performing the test can answer this question. The cost of procedure varies according to insurance carrier and geographic location in the United States.

Most tests are less: Than 1 hour to 4 hours total, with generally less than 1 hour "under the camera". The radiopharmaceutical agent (a radioactive element, usually technetium, bound to a drug) is injected (usually), and the patient waits for the agent to distribute throughout the body, and then the distribution of the radiation is imaged on the camera. A few tests require imaging at 24, or even 48 hours later.