MEDRADSC 2AA3 - Lecture 6.1 - Nuclear Medicine: The Basics

nuclear medicine is an imaging modality that produces images used primarily to assess the ___________ of the body.

physiology

what pathology is nuclear medicine hugely involved in diagnosing?

cancer

how can nuclear medicine be used in the heart?

visualize blood flow, assess angio results and evaluate heart function and CAD

how can nuclear medicine be used in the brain?

investigate abnormalities, detect early onset of disorders, determine resection volumes and/or treatment volumes for RT

how can nuclear medicine be used in the bones?

evaluate arthritis, fractures, primary/metastatic bone tumours and prosthetic jts

how can nuclear medicine be used in the endocrine system?

measure thyroid/nodule function and treat thyroid cancer

how can nuclear medicine be used lymphoreticularly?

treat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

what are the main benefits of nuclear medicine?

provides functional information, early detection of disease, non-invasive, less expensive, more precise and both soft tissue and bone can be imaged

what are the main risks and limitations associated with nuclear medicine?

radiation, allergic reactions, time consuming and decreased image resolution

what is the general procedure for a nuc med procedure?

prepare radiotracer, administer radiotracer, take images and image interpretation (PATI)

what are the two methods of preparation of radiotracers/radionuclides?

nuclear reactor or cyclotron production

which production method has a better half-life?

nuclear reactor production

what are the products of ß+ decay?

beta particle, positron and energy

what are the two most common radiotracers used in nuc med?

Tc-99 and F-18 FDG

how can radiotracers be administered?

injection, ingestion or inhalation

what are the different methods of nuclear medicine imaging?

gamma camera (rectilinear or planar), single-photon emission-computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET)