Who would have thought we would be using nuclear substances for medical purposes? Well, we are many different ways. I am going to discuss a test called the Indium Scan; this test requires the use of nuclear substances being injected into the blood stream via an IV. The amount of Indium that is giving is based on the patient and what the doctor feels as appropriate.
What is Indium you may ask?
Indium is an element. It has a classification name of metal. Indium was named for the Indigo line of spectrum and came from the Latin word indicum. There are 23 different types of Indium isotopes however only two are natural. Indium is also found in zinc, iron and lead. Indium is used for many reasons such as low melting point alloys, as well as many
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First the patient’s blood is drawn usually mixed with a small amount of substance called Indium -111 isotope, also known as tagging. This test requires around 50 mls of blood. In the second part of the test they inject the cells back into the patient’s body through a vein. This is not a contrast.
The next day the patient is asked to return for a series of images using a gamma camera. This is a full body scan. This test is done by a nuclear medicine technician. This part usually last between 60 to 90 minutes, this is the final stage of the test. In the case of an infection or abscess the tagged cells will clump to a specific area of the body usually the liver or spleen but also other organs as well.
The test has been known to be giving on children in the case of inflammatory bowel disease so the test does not discriminate against age. There have not been enough studies in the case of children and the Indium scan and the effects from it.
There are no restrictions or preparation to undergo this test and is painless except for the sharp feeling from the needle however the patient is asked to remain still on the table as if not it may affect the results. The table may be hard and cold, you will not be able to feel the radioactive substance enter your blood stream. The patient may eat regularly as well as drink. The doctor may ask you to stop taking any antibiotics if any prior to testing.
There are no known side effects of the test,
• Do not drink very much for 4 hours before the scan. You will need to drink several glasses of water at the beginning of the scan.
Briefly describe the layered construction of a coaxial cable from the inner core to the outer insulation. Use your textbook and Internet research to compose your answer.
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 procedures utilize very small doses of short-lived isotopes (ones that only stay radioactive for a few hours or days), the amount of radiation received is generally less than or equal to that of an x-ray. Whole body and healthy tissue doses can be minimized while the radioisotope is targeted toward the affected tissue or organ. The isotope is then eliminated by the body through the urine or fecal matter.
You will not encounter any risk of harm in this test if the instructions are followed thoroughly.
Therapeutic nuclear medicine has come a long way over the last decade. More than 20 million Americans now benefit each year from nuclear medicine procedures used to diagnose and treat a wide variety of diseases (SNMMI and Safe/Beneficial Medical Uses of Radiation, 2017).
Labs D-dimer results are also age dependent. Persons less than 50 years of age should be evaluated on an age appropriate scale.
Diagnostic work up includes history taking, thorough physical examination, CBC, liver function tests, diagnostic CT scans of the chest and abdomen, brain MRI and bone scan according to symptoms (NCCN guidelines, 2016).
A fine needle aspiration (FNA) is a form of biopsy usually performed if a nodule is found to determine if it's benign or malignant. Radionuclide scanning (using a radioactive isotope given orally to measure the amount of radioactive iodine the nodule concentrates) can also be performed to determine whether the lump is 'hot' or 'cold.' If a nodule is cold, it will not take up the radioactive material. When scanned, the cold nodule areas will show up lighter than normal tissue or even as totally blank areas. This is due to the decreased activity in that area of the thyroid (it's hypoactive, or not producing much thyroid hormone). A nodule that is cold is more likely to be a cancerous one, though the majority of them still turn out to be
A small dosage of radioactive material is given to the patient to be breathed in. This process is done so that the doctor can scan the airflow of the patient and look for anything that might be wrong. This process is done through a nebulizer, this is a small machine
A blog (short for Web log) is a type of Web page that features entries that provide a commentary on a single subject (the benefits of recycling household garbage) or a particular genre (politics, religion, green living, fashion, and so on). Blogs are essentially online journals, often written by a single person. Postings to blogs are not necessarily in any particular order but rather reflect what a blogger (a person who creates and maintains a blog) is thinking about at the time.
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.
With the given development and current state of nuclear medicine, develop an argument for how a nuclear medicine should be used in the future.Nuclear medicine ensure an accurate medical evaluation and helps detect and evaluate diseases. Ex: Brain disorders, Heart diseases and cancer. The Nuclear medicine is relatively safe. It can be used to determine whether or not organs are functioning normally. Nuclear medicine shows whether the blood supply to the is adequate or not. It also detects cancers at an early stage and determining the extent of cancer and asses the response of cancer to treatment. They also discover whether the heart can pump blood adequately and identifying abnormal brain lesions without exploratory surgery. It detecting whether
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.
Patient preparations are important for obtain the best image quality in PET-CT. All patients should fast more than 4 hours (it depend on the hospital protocol). Patient should have good hydration during the uptake phase. Blood glucose must check before the tracer injection. In case of high blood glucose Intravenous insulin should be administered to reduce the blood glucose level. The patient must avoid exercise before the PET-CT scan. Patient should keep relax and warm during the uptake phase to avoid needless uptake in the muscles and brown fat.