NUC MED

  • diagnostic and therapeutic (theranostics)

  • studies the function of organ systems

  • uses a radioactive isotope

  • use alpha (img with), beta, and gamma (therapy)

  • for different isotopes there are different shielding

  • discovered in 1896

  • 35% of the volume is myocardial perfusion

  • PET/CT scans make up 25% of the volume

  • 5% of the volume is for the lungs

  • 5% of the volume is for bones

  • 30% of the volume is miscellaneous

  • PET is used to diagnose, stage, and plan treatment for cancer, determine cardiac viability, and diagnose neurological conditions and is one of the fastest-growing NUC med applications

  • radiopharmecuticals (radionuclide + carrier (tells where to go) = radiopharmaceutical

  • make products/medicines in a hot lab

  • uses Beccerell to measure

  • a gamma camera-collimator stops scatter, one gets to the crystal to make the image

  • CZT- cadmium zinc telluride, fast simulation material, solid state detectors

  • quality control is daily

  • general nuc med studies: Injections (IV’s), bone scans (uses Tc99m Medronate), WBC bone scans (both bone and tissue imaged), hepatobiliary, thyroid scans (I123 Sodium Iodide, pill), renogram (kidney funct., Tc99m Mag3), V/Q scan (ventilation and perfusion to the lungs, Tc99m DTPA aerosol for ventilation, Tc99m MAA for perfusion), parathyroid (Tc99m Sestamibi, looks for tumors), gastric emptying (liquid indium is administered, how long it takes to empty out of stomach), sentinel node (uses tilmanocept/lymphoseek injection to diagnose carcinoma)

  • cardiac studies: myocardial perfusion (uses tech and myoview to see blood flow to muscle of the heart), MUGA (checking blood pumping in and out of heart/ insides), cardiac shunt (MAA is used to see shunt if it is located outside of lungs), PET/CT (tumors, cardiac and brain imaging and anatomy and function), PET tumor imaging (uses radioactive sugar to show where tumors are), PET cardiac imaging (patient has special diet to see myocardial issues), PET brain imaging (diagnoses brain diseases), therapy/theranostics (measures levels for cancers), PSMA (for prostate)