Procedures of Nuclear Medicine

“Nuclear medicine is a highly specialized field of radiology. It requires the oral or intravenous administration of radiopharmaceuticals, radioactive isotopes combined with organ specific medications, in order to perform

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

Sonography is non-invasive. A sonographer uses equipment that directs high-frequency sound waves to body organs and tissue to generate medical diagnostic images. It does not use radiation and is expected to grow in a professional manor and as a tool used by physicians. This is also a way for many individuals to use non-invasive technology to help assist in diagnostics.

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.

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.

In the Nuclear Medicine department, the two most common procedures performed are bone scans and VQ scans (ventilation/perfusion scan). During a Nuclear medicine procedure, the patient is either injected or inhales radioisotopes, which then causes the patient to become the source of radiation that is picked up by a gamma camera. A VQ scan is a two phase scan that requires the patient to be injected with a radioisotope and inhale a gas infused with radioisotopes. This scan is used to determine the blood and air flow of the lungs and detect possible pulmonary emboli. The radioisotopes used for this exam include radioactive Xenon gas and technetium. As for the bone scan the patient is

Radiology (70010–79999)- radiology comprises modalities (methods of applying a therapeutic/physical treatment) that use distinct technology and equipment to obtain images. Radiological modalities include plain radiography, also called X-ray, ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT), nuclear medicine (NM), positron emission tomography (PET), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Nuclear Medicine Technologists examine the heart, lungs, bones, brain, and other systems as well. They use energy in the form of gamma rays that are detected by a camera and computer to basically tell the tech what exactly is going on in a patient's body. These images cannot be acquired using other imaging methods. Nuclear Medicine detects many abnormalities in a patient's body, for example: heart diseases, gastrointestinal, cancers, neurological disorders, and many others. To become a technologist in this field require associates or bachelors degree and a license and certification. The average salary for them would be around $71,120

A couple of these would be from the heart, lungs, bones, brain, and other systems. For example, from the heart it can visualize blood flow and function (such as myocardial perfusion scan). It can also evaluate treatment options such as bypass heart surgery and angioplasty. It can scan the lungs for respiratory and blood flow problems, as well as assess differential lung function for lung reduction or transplant surgery. It can evaluate bones for fractures, infection and arthritis, as well as many other things. Lastly is the brain, nuclear medicine techs can investigate abnormalities in the brain in patients with certain symptoms or disorders, such as seizures. These were just a few of the many things a nuclear medicine tech can do, along with determining the presence of cancer, detect rare tumors of the pancreas, the list goes on and on. My modality can do these things and so much more for people and help them in ways no other medical field

MRI does not expose the patient to radiopharmaceuticals, which gives cardiac MRI an advantage over nuclear medicine (13). MRI also has better resolution than nuclear medicine. The excellent contrast resolution of MRI produces a well-defined endocardial border (7). MRI does not have the problem of limited acoustic windows that sometimes inhibits echocardiographic imaging.

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.

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

Being the second year student of the Faculty of Physics and Technology, I acquired the knowledge about Medical Physics for the first time. Heretofore, in my understanding, the use of radiation in medicine was limited with the fluorography which we had every year before final exams. Once a week, I and my classmates participated in a Physics Club under the direction of the head of the Department of Theoretical and Nuclear Physics where we considered the problems of Modern Physics. During one of these meetings, the professor told us the thought-provoking stories about successful oncology surgeries of brains and his plans to build a Nuclear Medicine research center in coming years in our country which caused my interest about Medical Physics and

Modern medicine has undergone major advancements over the past years. One of these developments include the capacity to retrieve crucial information about the human body and its health beyond the use of manual diagnostic techniques. This is referred to as Medical or Diagnostic Imaging.