NUCLEAR MEDICINE

Nuclear medicine is a medical specialty that involves the application of radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. It’s a unique branch of radiology that uses very small amounts of radioactive materials, often referred to as radionuclides or radiotracers, to examine organ function and structure.

Unlike traditional radiology that uses external radiation, nuclear medicine records radiation emitted from within the body. The emphasis is not on imaging anatomy, but on the function, making it a physiological imaging modality.

In nuclear medicine imaging, radiopharmaceuticals are taken internally, for example, through inhalation, intravenously, or orally. Then, external detectors, such as gamma cameras, capture and form images from the radiation emitted by the radiopharmaceuticals. This process is different from a diagnostic X-ray, where external radiation is passed through the body to form an image.

2D Scintigraphy

This uses internal radionuclides to create two-dimensional images.

3D SPECT and PET scans

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) scans are the two most common imaging modalities in nuclear medicine. They use gamma camera data from many projections and can be reconstructed in different planes.

Nuclear medicine can be used to diagnose and treat various conditions, including cancer. It plays a pivotal role in the non-invasive evaluation of coronary artery disease, detection of gallbladder disease, evaluation of pulmonary embolism, and evaluation of hyperthyroidism. It’s often used to help diagnose and treat abnormalities very early in the progression of a disease, such as thyroid cancer.