What exactly is nuclear medicine?
Nuclear medicine puts very small amounts of radioactive materials, known as radiopharmaceuticals or “tracers,” into a patient’s body and then uses special cameras to track the signals these materials emit. The cameras produce photographs or three-dimensional computer images that give doctors a picture of both the structure and the functioning of inner organs. The amount of radiation the patient receives is small, about the same as received from an x-ray. There are currently nearly 100 different nuclear medicine imaging procedures, with new technology continually under development. Nuclear medicine is used for: • Identification of tumors, areas of infection, or other disorders • Diagnosis and treatment of hyper-thyroidism • Cardiac stress tests to analyze heart function • Bone scans for orthopedic injuries • Lung scans for blood clots • Liver and gall bladder procedures to diagnose abnormal function and blockages. What would you do as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist? • Explain the proce
