Nuclear Medicine: Compare And Contrast Radiography And Aesthetics

X-rays : these invisible beams can go through a number of objects, making it a fast and painless test done to be able to see inside the human body. This test is mainly used to see the bones and it depends on the amount of radiation absorbed and the density of the object. It can appear as white (for bone and metal), black (air in the lungs) or gray (fats and muscles).

Nuclear medicine has been around for more than 50 years now and stems from the discovery of x-rays and artificial radioactivity. In 1946, nuclear medicine made a monumental breakthrough when radioactive iodine led to the complete disappearance of cancer in a patient’s thyroid. Nuclear medicine became widely used in the 1950’s to measure the function of the thyroid, to diagnose thyroid disease, and for the treatment of patients with hyperthyroidism. By the 1970’s nuclear medicine was used to visualize other organs of the body other than the thyroid such as scanning of the liver and spleen, localizing brain tumors, and images of the gastrointestinal track. The use of digital computers and detection of heart disease arose in

Furthermore, X-ray of higher energy than required for imaging is used for radiation therapy. The radiation therapy makes use of ionization radiation (and no images) for the treatment of diseases, such as

- Even though the X-ray expose patient to harmful radiation it is used to see inside the human body and diagnose broken bones, gallstones and later tuberculosis.

Medicine has developed into an astonishing work of pure art over the years. From an old village healer crushing the simplest herbs in ancient times, to large machines administering chemical formulas to patients today. The newest addition to this artwork is Nuclear Medicine. Nuclear Medicine is a medicine that deals with the use of radioactive substances entering the body to attach/ attack cells. Whether it be to diagnose, test, or to treat, this nuclear technology has driven the medical and chemistry world into the future.

Nuclear Medicine is the use of radioisotopes for diagnosis, treatment, and research. Radioactive chemical tracers emit gamma rays which provides diagnostic information about a person's anatomy and the functioning of specific organs. Radioisotopes are also utilizes in treatments of diseases such as cancer. It is estimated that approximately one in two people in Western countries are likely to experience the benefits of nuclear medicine in their lifetime.

Technetium-99m is a widely used radioactive tracer isotope in Nuclear Medicine. Its gamma ray energy of about 140 keV is convenient for detection. The fact that both its physical half-life and its biological half-life are very short leads to very fast clearing from the body after an imaging process. A further advantage is that the gamma is a single energy, not accompanied by beta emission, and that permits more precise alignment of imaging detectors.

During an experiment he placed his hand between the source of the X-ray, the cathode-ray tube and a screen and saw the faint outline of the bones of his hand. It was the first X-ray picture. The more dense bone absorbed more X-rays then the less dense flesh producing an image of his hand. He soon learned that photographic plates were sensitive to X-ray as they are to light and was thus able to make the first X-ray photography. These first "Roentgen exposures" were of various metal objects that were locked in a wooden case and of his wife's hand.

→ An X-ray is an imaging test that uses small amounts of radiation to produce pictures of the organs, tissues, and bones of the body. When focused on the chest, it helps to spot abnormalities or diseases in the lungs.

X-rays — or radiography, as it is known in medicine — allow for looking inside a body and identifying everything from broken bones to swallowed objects. The tool is vital to the ability to diagnose and treat injuries.

There are many advantages of x-rays in dental radiation. We can use the x-rays to detect and confirm any diseases or lesions that may be in the mouth. They detect any trauma that may have happened to the teeth and or gums. We use x-rays to look and study the growth and development of teeth and gums in children and adults. With the advancement of the x-ray we can also detect any tumors, teeth that are missing or are coming in at an abnormal direction as well as educating the patients about their mouth and teeth.

The use of radiographs have changed the way the practice of medicine and dentistry diagnose, treat and prevent diseases. The x-ray was discovered in 1895 by the physicist, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, but it took a group of dedicate individuals to investigate its multiple uses and its dangerous effects in the body. Many of the pioneers in dental radiography, were expose to high dose of radiations and died from different type of cancer. The first dental x-ray unit was developed by a dentist from Boston by the name of William H. Rollins. He got burn while he was experimenting with x-ray, and this inspired him to write the first document about the dangers associated with radiation and radiation protection. Throughout the years, many innovations

Nuclear imaging (also known as nuclear medicine) is an imaging modality that involves injection, inhalation or injection of radioactive radiopharmaceuticals to visualize various organs and tissues. However, not only organs and tissues can be monitored, but also particular cells that are directly (for example with F-FDG tracer) or genetically (for example with HSV1-tk reporter gene) labeled . In order to use this nuclear imaging modality radiopharmaceuticals (also called tracers) are given internally (i.V. or orally). The Radiopharmaceuticals emitting penetrating gamma rays are used for imaging, where the radiation has to escape the body before being detected by special scans.

Last of the diagnostic imaging tools is the MRI. MRI, which stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, was a technique developed in the 1950?s by Felix Bloch, and is the most versatile, powerful, and sensitive tool in use. The process of MRI was originally called NRI, Nuclear Resonance Imaging, but was found to be to confusing due to the fact that MRI?s don?t use radioactivity and ionizing radiation. The MRI generates a very powerful electromagnetic field, which allows the radiologist to generate thin-section images of any part of the body. Also it can take these images from any direction or angle, and is done without and surgical invasion. Another plus side to the MRI is the time it takes to perform, where as a CAT scan may take 30-60 min. A MRI may only take 15 minutes max. The MRI also creates ?maps? of biochemical compounds within a cross-section of the body. These maps give basic biomedical and anatomical information that provides new knowledge and may allow early diagnosis of many diseases.

In most radiology modalities, it is hard to see the many different soft tissue like the vessels and arteries without the help of a contrast agent. The soft tissue and blood vessels are composed of a different density which in turn makes the plain x-ray images not as beneficial as for bones to diagnosis. Differentiating between two adjacent tissues is proven to be very useful with the help of a radiopaque substance.2 This in turn is the reason a contrast agent is needed to enhance the vasculature nature of the human body. Examples of contrast agents commonly used are barium, Iodine 300 or 370, Gastrografin, or Gadolinium.