Why is Nuclear Medicine Performed?
Nuclear medicine imaging (also called radionuclide scanning) shows not only the anatomy (structure) of an organ or body part, but the function of the organ as well. This functional information can show if the organ is working properly. This is due to the fact that the radionuclides (low-level radioactive chemicals used in nuclear medicine studies) are absorbed by or taken up at varying rates (or in different concentrations) by different tissue types. For instance, the thyroid gland takes up more radioactive iodine than other parts of the body. The amount of radiation that is taken up and then emitted by a specific body part is linked to the metabolic activity (cellular function) of the organ or tissue. For example, cells which are dividing rapidly (like cancer tissue cells) may be seen as “hot spots” of metabolic activity on a nuclear medicine image, since they absorb more of the radionuclide. Brain tumor study and comparison of nuclear medicine and MR Upper row: fused image of nuclear
