Hi Steemians!!!
Today I hope to post this article to give you better knowledge and awareness about this diagnosis and treatment method. From now on I will use NM for Nuclear Medicine for my convenience.
First, we will see what is the principle used in NM...
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According to st. Perter's University Hospital web page,
Nuclear medicine is a medical specialty involving the use of radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. In nuclear medicine procedures, radionuclides are combined with other elements to form chemical compounds, or else combined with existing pharmaceutical compounds, to form radiopharmaceuticals. These radiopharmaceuticals, once administered to the patient, can localize to specific organs or cellular receptors.
NM; based on the word "Nuclear". The nucleus is the smallest part of any element. The unstable nucleus can emit radiation until it becomes stable. These unstable elements are called "isotopes". These isotopes may be man-made or naturally occurring in the environment. When isotopes become stable it emits their energy as radioactive particles or electromagnetic waves. Alpha and Beta consider as radioactive particles and Gamma consider as an electromagnetic waves in NM.
For Diagnosis => use pure gamma emitor (Tc 99m isotpe)
For Treatment => use beta emittors (I 131 isotope)
Source Image of the Bone Scan
NM studies are obtained by using chemicals that interact with the biological elements of the body in a specific way.
For the NM we chose "radiopharmaceutical". A radiopharmaceutical is a combination of the radiotracer and the pharmaceutical. And it is a radioactive compound used for the diagnosis and therapeutic treatment of human diseases.
An appropriate radiopharmaceutical is chosen on,
- basis of its preferential localization in a given organ
- its participation in the physiologic function of the organ
To detect these gamma rays we have to insert this gamma emitter inside the patient's body.
This is the main feature that we can deffer NM from the radiography. Here the patient is returned to a source of radiation. These radiotracers insert into the body, orally or intravenously (IV).
After administration, pharmaceutical transports radiotracer to a specific organ with an abnormality or disease. Then a radiotracer accumulates in that organ and emits gamma rays.
In NM; use a gamma camera to detect emitted radiation by the radioisotope.
The pharmaceutical that dispenses with a radiotracer, must be specific to that organ that needs to observe.
This is the basic theory used in NM.
I think this gave you some insight into the technology used in NM.
My main aim is to dispel your doubts and fear about NM tests.
I hope to bring more pieces of information from my future articles.
THANK YOU!!!