Information Page
Background
1903
Alexander Graham proposed placing founts of radium inside or near tumors.
1936
John Lawrence made an artificial radionuclide when he treated a leukemia patient using phosphorus-32.
1962
David Kuhl introduced the basis of what would become SPECT (single positron emission computerized tomography) and PET (positron emission tomography) scans.
1974
First PET scan camera built for human studies.
1983
Henry Wagner successful carried out the first PET scan of a neuroreceptor (membrane receptor protein that gets activated by a neurotransmitter) on himself.
Nuclear imaging a branch of medical imaging that consists of small doses of radioactive material into the body to diagnose and determine diseases like cancer,
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Nuclear medicine is traced back to all sorts of sciences like physics, engineering, and chemistry. It is said that John Lawrence is the father of nuclear imaging because he was the first person ever to treat a leukemia patient with a radioisotope. From then on, a number of doctors experimented with patients with blood disorders and cancer by use of radioisotopes and were successful as well. One doctor’s procedure to halt the growth of cancer on the thyroid became the turning point in medical history. The beginnings of organ screening, for example PET scans, were born.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Efficient for supplying large amounts of energy
A powerful, dangerous weapon in war that could potentially kill of all of mankind
In the medical field, it is used to diagnose diseases and portray a more accurate and elaborate image of inside the body.
Nuclear waste could last up to five hundred thousand years
Doesn’t give off as much waste as coal or fossil fuels
Could lead to malignant cancers and birth
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I’m inferring that most people only acknowledge the incidents related to radiation and such and nothing about how it benefits us, besides that it provides us with electricity. People don’t know that radioactivity is being put in patients to potentially save their lives. People don’t know how much nuclear chemistry has changed the face of science and society. People don’t know enough. I chose nuclear medicine as my topic to show mankind that nuclear chemistry isn’t all that bad. I wrote an editorial article because I know I could easily portray my perspective on it all and explain how it’s been working in the medical industry
People also benefit from atomic research in the medical field. Many people are aware of the wide use of radiation and radioisotopes in medicine. Nuclear medicine mostly uses radioisotopes which emit gamma rays from within the body. Estimates show that about one out of every three hospital patients benefits in some way from the use of nuclear medicine. Just think, every time you have an X-ray taken you are benefiting from nuclear research. Without X-rays, doctors would have a far greater time trying to set a broken bone if they even knew it was broken! Another common medical procedure that involves atomic research is the Cat-Scan. During this procedure the patient is injected with a radioactive isotope which shows the flow of blood through the
Nuclear medicine technology has advantages and disadvantages just as any other career. Using nuclear medicine technology could diagnose a lot of harmful diseases. Also, it is more effective treatment for most categories of cancerous diseases and conditions in some medical institutions. This type of medicine technology helps physicians perform their responsibility of patients’ therapy easily; moreover, when a serious disease developed in the patient’s body, the x-rays of this medicine technology could scan the most sensitive part of the patient’s body.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or commonly known as MRI, is a technique used in medicine for producing images of tissues inside the body. It is an important diagnostic tool because it enables physicians to identify abnormal tissue without opening the body through surgery. MRI lets physicians see through bones and organs. MRI does not expose the patient to radiation, unlike tests that use X-rays. MRI provides an unparallel view inside the human body. It is the method of choice for the
The study of radiology involves the use of imaging technology to diagnose and treat an illness. The method most commonly used to diagnose is projection radiography which produces radiographs by transmitting X-Rays through the patient to create an image. Other forms of radiology that are used to diagnose include CT scanning, Ultrasounds, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Fluoroscopy, and Nuclear Medicine.
The first question I asked Dr. Kevin was, “Is nuclear pharmacy harmful to health?” He smiled and said that basically every student will ask this question because nuclear pharmacy sounds radioactive. By showing his dosimeter on his name tag and finger, we know the amount of radiation exposure will be strictly controlled. The female student who is currently training here told us that she delivered a healthy baby last year. Different organizations will inspect the amount of radioactive particles either on lab equipment or the pig container deliver to the health organization annually. The nuclear pharmacy has spectacular applications on diagnosis for multiple disease, such as indium 111 for white blood cell scan. The half life for radioactive
Nuclear medicine is a branch of medical science, which uses small amounts of radioactive materials in order to diagnose and treat diseases. These diseases include cancers, heart diseases, and other irregularities in the body. The nuclear medicine is injected into the blood stream in order to identify potential diseases. There are over forty million nuclear medicine procedures preformed each year through radiation, or the energy in form of waves or high speed particles. The use of nuclear medicine allows the treatment of diseases without surgery. This form of treatment causes only minimal damage to the tissues surrounding cancerous cells.
are all naturally occurs, as they are also able to decay on their own. As others are man made that are used for radioactivity in the healthcare system such as: Na-24 (monitoring blood circulation), F- 18 (brain imaging/bone scans), I- 131 (imaging of the activity of thyroids and liver) and etc. The form of radiation transferred through energy taking the form of tiny particles invisible to the eye or light. Radiation linked to nuclear medicine utilizing nuclear energy is considered to be ionizing radiation. This implies that the radiation has enough energy to interrelate with matter including with the human body in producing ions. There are several different kinds of ionizing radiation, which include: alpha particles (a helium nucleus produced by radioactive components, initially known as a ray), beta particles (a quick moving electron produced by radioactive decay initially known as a ray), and gamma rays (the penetration of electromagnetic radiation derived from the radioactive decay of an atomic nuclei) (NDE-ED,
The modern PET scanner is only a more recent advancement in medicine’s attempts at internal body imaging. This branch of science, with applications pertaining to medical research and disease diagnosis, can be traced back to 1895; when Wilhelm Roentgen discovered the x-ray.
Physicians must ask themselves, “Is this CT the best examination to diagnose this condition in the child?” (National Cancer Institute, 2012). CT scans are quick, prevent misdiagnoses and unnecessary surgeries; however, there are two alternatives: ultrasound and MRI. Communication between pediatric physicians and radiologists is extremely important in minimizing radiation exposure (National Cancer Institute, 2012). The Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging is a great source for physicians, medical physicists and technologists to gain knowledge on how to minimize radiation exposure on pediatric
The use of radioactive elements in medicine is still growing to this day. Many oncologists use it to treat their patients who have cancer. Many cancer patients use this option. They use the radiation to kill off cancer cells. X-ray technicians or radiologists will also use it to administer x-rays to people who may have a broken bone, or need an MRI. The patient is injected with a radioactive material that helps the doctor be able to see inside the body better, whether it be with pictures or ultrasound. Radioactive material is defined as “material that contains radioactivity and thus emits ionizing radiation. It may be material that contains natural radioactivity from the environment or a material that may have been made radioactive.” (The Healthy Physics Society). This happens when someone needs a colonoscopy. They have to drink or are injected with this liquid that helps their organs and all other masses in the body be seen better by the radioactive materials.
Another form of imaging is ultrasound. Ultrasound, which uses very high frequency sound, is directed into the body. And because the tissue interference's reflect sound, doctors are able to produce, by use of a computer, a photograph or moving image on a television. Ultrasound has many application uses on the body, but is more commonly used in examinations of the fetus during pregnancy, because use of radiation may affect the outcome of the baby. Some other practices for ultrasound include examination of the arteries, heart, pancreas, urinary system, ovaries, brain, and spinal cord. And because sound travels well through fluids it is a very useful technique for diagnosing cysts( which are filled with fluid), and fluid filled structures such as the bladder. And since sound is absorbed by air and bone it is impossible to use a ultrasound on bones or lungs.
1895 – X-rays were discovered accidentally by physicist Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen. Rontgen was working on a experiment and testing whether cathode rays could pass through glass. He noticed that a nearby tube emitted fluorescent glow of crystals. The air in the tube was released, high voltage applied, the same tube emitted a fluorescent glow. When Rontgen covered the tube in a heavy black paper, a green light could be seen. He concluded that a new light ray was being broadcast. Rontgen discovered that the light was very powerful and the same ray could pass through human tissue, but not through bones and metal objects. Medical applications were soon to follow. ("History of radiography," )
In nuclear medicine diagnosing techniques, a very small amount of radioactive material is introduced into the body. Because medical isotopes are attracted to specific organs, bones or tissues, the emissions they produce can provide crucial information about a particular type of cancer or disease. Information gathered during a nuclear medicine technique is more comprehensive than other imaging procedures because it describes organ function, not just structure. The result is that many diseases and cancers can be diagnosed much earlier.
Medical imaging is very important in our present day society but how does it work? Medical imaging works with this thing called waves .Radiation in medical imaging can be very helpful to people in detecting diseases and broken bones and more faster and without a lot of this stuff many people wouldn't be here or would be walking around with a broken bone.The advancements of medical imaging has advanced a whole lot over the years so now we know a whole lot about the body.
Medical or Diagnostic Imaging refers to the various techniques that can be used to see inside the human body. Its non-invasive nature means that the body does not have to be opened up surgically for medical practitioners to view the organs anatomically. In clinical settings, it can be used to aid in the diagnosis or treatment of different ailments. Many kinds of medical imaging techniques have already been developed, each with their own advantages