Nuclear Medicine in Pulmonology

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and definitions related to nuclear medicine in pulmonology as presented in the lecture.

Nuclear Medicine

A branch of medicine that uses radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

Perfusion Scintigraphy

A type of lung scintigraphy that assesses regional blood flow in the lungs using a radiopharmaceutical.

Ventilation Scintigraphy

A lung imaging procedure that evaluates the inhalation of a radiopharmaceutical gas or aerosol.

Tc-99m MAA

Technetium-99m macroaggregated albumin, a radiopharmaceutical used in perfusion scintigraphy.

F-18 FDG PET/CT

A positron emission tomography-computed tomography technique using fluorodeoxyglucose, primarily to assess tumor metabolism.

Pulmonary Embolism (PE)

A blockage in one of the pulmonary arteries in the lungs, often caused by blood clots.

Solitary Pulmonary Nodule (SPN)

A single abnormal round growth in the lung, typically ≤3 cm in diameter, that needs further evaluation.

Lymphadenopathy

Swollen or enlarged lymph nodes, which can be indicative of various underlying conditions, including infections and malignancies.

Sensitivity of Imaging Modality

The ability of a test to correctly identify those with the disease (true positive rate).

Specificity of Imaging Modality

The ability of a test to correctly identify those without the disease (true negative rate).