MD · DNB
50 Nuclear Medicine Thesis Topics
Academic session 2026-2027 · 50 topics
This page lists 50 nuclear medicine thesis topics for MD and DNB candidates in India for the 2026-2027 academic session. Nuclear medicine shares radiology’s natural research design — an imaging finding compared against a reference standard — but adds a therapeutic arm in radioiodine and radionuclide therapy, which gives access to treatment outcome questions that pure imaging specialties do not have.
The nuclear medicine thesis topics below use both. They cover thyroid scintigraphy and radioiodine therapy, bone scintigraphy, renal and hepatobiliary studies, myocardial perfusion imaging, positron emission tomography in oncology, sentinel node localisation, therapeutic radionuclide use, radiation safety and quality control.
Click any topic to open it in the protocol generator with the title already filled in.
- A cross-sectional study of the scintigraphic patterns in patients presenting with thyroid nodulesGet protocol
- An observational study of the outcome of radioiodine therapy in patients with hyperthyroidismGet protocol
- A study of the determinants of treatment response following radioiodine therapy for toxic goitreGet protocol
- A comparative study of scintigraphic findings and cytology in the evaluation of thyroid nodulesGet protocol
- An observational study of the pattern of uptake on whole body scintigraphy in patients treated for differentiated thyroid carcinomaGet protocol
- A study of serum thyroglobulin and its correlation with scintigraphic findings after thyroid remnant ablationGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the incidence and management of hypothyroidism following radioiodine therapyGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the pattern of skeletal metastases detected on bone scintigraphyGet protocol
- A comparative study of bone scintigraphy and plain radiography in the detection of skeletal metastasesGet protocol
- An observational study of the scintigraphic findings in patients with unexplained skeletal painGet protocol
- A study of the diagnostic utility of three phase bone scintigraphy in suspected osteomyelitisGet protocol
- An observational study of bone scintigraphy findings in patients with metabolic bone diseaseGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the diagnostic utility of renal scintigraphy in patients with suspected obstructive uropathyGet protocol
- An observational study of differential renal function measured by scintigraphy in patients with unilateral renal diseaseGet protocol
- A comparative study of scintigraphic and ultrasonographic assessment in children with hydronephrosisGet protocol
- A study of the scintigraphic detection of renal scarring in children with urinary tract infectionGet protocol
- An observational study of graft function assessed by scintigraphy in renal allograft recipientsGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of hepatobiliary scintigraphy findings in patients with suspected biliary dysfunctionGet protocol
- An observational study of the diagnostic utility of scintigraphy in suspected gastrointestinal bleedingGet protocol
- A study of gastric emptying assessed by scintigraphy in patients with dyspeptic symptomsGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of myocardial perfusion imaging findings in patients with suspected coronary artery diseaseGet protocol
- A comparative study of myocardial perfusion imaging and coronary angiography findingsGet protocol
- An observational study of left ventricular function assessed by gated myocardial perfusion imagingGet protocol
- A study of the prognostic value of myocardial perfusion findings in patients with diabetes mellitusGet protocol
- An observational study of myocardial viability assessment in patients with left ventricular dysfunctionGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of positron emission tomography findings in the staging of lymphomaGet protocol
- An observational study of interim positron emission tomography response in patients undergoing chemotherapyGet protocol
- A study of the role of positron emission tomography in the detection of recurrence in treated malignancyGet protocol
- A comparative study of positron emission tomography and computed tomography in staging of a defined malignancyGet protocol
- An observational study of positron emission tomography findings in patients with carcinoma of unknown primaryGet protocol
- A study of standardised uptake values and their correlation with histopathological grade in solid tumoursGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of positron emission tomography findings in the evaluation of solitary pulmonary nodulesGet protocol
- An observational study of positron emission tomography in the assessment of head and neck malignancyGet protocol
- A study of sentinel lymph node localisation by lymphoscintigraphy in patients with carcinoma of the breastGet protocol
- An observational study of the identification rate and findings of sentinel node scintigraphyGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of lymphoscintigraphy findings in patients with limb lymphoedemaGet protocol
- An observational study of the outcome of radionuclide therapy for painful skeletal metastasesGet protocol
- A study of the response and toxicity of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy in neuroendocrine tumoursGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the indications and outcome of radiosynovectomyGet protocol
- An observational study of the response to radionuclide therapy assessed by symptom scoresGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the radiation dose received by staff in a nuclear medicine departmentGet protocol
- An observational study of patient radiation dose across common nuclear medicine proceduresGet protocol
- A study of radiation safety practices and compliance in a nuclear medicine departmentGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the radiopharmaceutical quality control parameters at a nuclear medicine unitGet protocol
- An observational study of the labelling efficiency of commonly used radiopharmaceuticalsGet protocol
- A study of gamma camera performance parameters assessed by routine quality control testingGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the indications and appropriateness of nuclear medicine referralsGet protocol
- An observational study of the turnaround time from referral to reporting in a nuclear medicine departmentGet protocol
- A study of patient understanding and anxiety regarding nuclear medicine proceduresGet protocol
- A cross-sectional study of the concordance between nuclear medicine reports and final clinical diagnosisGet protocol
Choosing a Nuclear Medicine thesis topic
What ethical considerations apply to a nuclear medicine thesis?
Radiation exposure is the central one. Where the study uses scans performed for clinical indications, no additional exposure occurs and approval is generally straightforward. Where an additional acquisition, an extra time point or a research-only scan is proposed, the committee will require the added effective dose to be stated in millisieverts and justified against the expected benefit. Studies involving children or pregnant women attract particular scrutiny.
Can retrospective scan data be used?
Yes, and it is the most practical design for a specialty with modest patient volumes. Archived scan data allows adequate numbers for uncommon indications that would take years to accumulate prospectively, and a reference standard is often available in the same records through histopathology or subsequent clinical course. Ethics approval is still needed, and anonymisation must be described in the protocol.
What sample size is realistic for a nuclear medicine thesis?
Considerably smaller than in clinical specialties, because scan volumes are lower. Eighty to one hundred and fifty cases with a confirmed reference standard is typical for a diagnostic accuracy study, and that may require going back two or three years in the archive. Check the department register before finalising the calculation, since the availability of confirmation rather than the number of scans is usually the limiting factor.
Thesis and protocol questions
How is a thesis topic different from a thesis protocol?
The topic is the title — the question a study sets out to answer, together with the population and the design. The protocol is the full document built around it: background, review of literature, aims and objectives, inclusion and exclusion criteria, sample size calculation, methodology, statistical plan, ethics considerations, consent documents and references. A topic is agreed with a guide first; the protocol is written afterwards and submitted to the institutional ethics committee.
When does a postgraduate thesis have to be submitted?
For most Indian postgraduate programmes the protocol is submitted within the first six months of joining, and the completed thesis is submitted at least six months before the final examination. Exact deadlines are set by the university, so the departmental circular for the current session takes precedence over any general timeline.
How is sample size decided for a postgraduate thesis?
Sample size follows from the primary objective, not the other way round. A prevalence study is powered from an expected proportion and an acceptable margin of error; a comparative study is powered from the expected difference between groups, the standard deviation, alpha and desired power. The figure should then be checked against the institution's actual case load for the study period, because a statistically ideal sample that cannot be recruited in the time available is not a workable plan.
Does a thesis topic need ethics committee approval?
Yes. Every postgraduate thesis involving human participants, human data or human samples requires clearance from the institutional ethics committee before data collection begins. Approval is granted on the protocol rather than on the title, and the submission usually includes the protocol, the participant information sheet and the consent form in English and in the local language.
What makes a topic realistic for a three-year postgraduate programme?
A workable topic can be completed at a single centre, with equipment and investigations that are already available in routine practice, within roughly eighteen months of data collection. Topics that depend on external funding, specialised assays, multicentre coordination or long follow-up tend to stall. Choosing a condition the department already sees in volume matters more than choosing a novel one.
Can a thesis be published as a research paper afterwards?
Yes, and it is generally expected. A thesis is usually condensed into a paper of around three to four thousand words, restructured into the standard introduction, methods, results and discussion format, with the review of literature shortened considerably. Journals differ in their requirements, and the ethics approval number from the original thesis is normally cited in the methods section.