D A N A GON Z A L E Z

P E R . A 3
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
WHAT IS NUCLEAR MEDICINE?
Nuclear medicine is a division of medical imaging
that uses small amounts of radioactive material to
diagnose and determine the severity of or treat a
variety of diseases, also many types of cancers,
heart disease, gastrointestinal, endocrine,
neurological disorders and other abnormalities in
the body.
DISEASES THAT CAN BE TREATED WITH
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
Heart, lungs, bones, brain, cancer. Ex:
Thyrotoxicosis (Graves Disease)-thyroid is overactive and produces too
much thyroid hormone
Thyroid Cancer- Almost the same as Thyrotoxicosis but the dose is large
enough to kill thyroid cells and cancer cells
Bone Cancer- Cancers can spread to the bone. These bony metastases
can produce severe and intractable pain.
Polycythemia Vera This disease there is an increased number of red
blood cells and an enlarged spleen. Radiation will reduce the production
in red blood cells
Malignant Pleural or Peritoneal Effusions- Cancers can produce fluid in
the chest and in the abdomen. The radiation decreases the production
of fluid.
Rheumatoid Arthritis and other joint diseases Some joint diseases
produce thickened joint lining can produce a joint effusion and destroy
bone and cartilage. A radioactive agent is injected in the joint and used
to destroy the overgrown joint lining.

RADIOISOTOPES MOSTLY USED IN NUCLEAR
MEDICINE
The isotopes of an element have the same number of protons
in their atoms but different masses due to different numbers of
neutrons.
When a combination of neutrons and protons, is produced
artificially, the atom will be unstable and is called a
radioactive isotope or radioisotope.
Commonly used Radioisotopes:
Fluorine-18
Gallium-67
Krypton-81m
Rubidium-82
Technetium-99m
Indium-111
Iodine-123
Xenon-133
Thallium-201

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF TREATING
A DISEASE WITH NUCLEAR MEDICINE
Advantage of Nuclear Medicine- it can tell you how well
an organ is functioning, it can tell if there is cancer at
work. It gives doctors a quick accurate diagnosis of a
wide range of conditions and diseases in a person of any
age, and treatment can begin as early as possible. The
tests are painless and most scans expose patients to only
small amounts of radiation
Disadvantages- The person is exposed to radiation. Cells
that reproduce fast, like hair, can be killed during
radiation. This causes hair to fall out. Its expensive to pay
for treatment, the procedure has to be fast because
radioisotopes have a short half life, pregnant women
can not be treated, Radiation can not treat all cancers
because sometimes it needs to be combined with
surgery or chemotherapy.

OTHER FORMS OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE
Nuclear medicine varies from other exams, such as x-ray, CT or
MRI.
Bone Scans
Brain Scans
Gastro-Intestinal System Scans
Cardiac Scans
Infection/Inflammation Scans
Renal Scans (kidney scans)
Liver and Spleen Scans
Lung Scans
Thyroid Scans
Tumor Scans
Neuroendocrine tumor Scans
Radio immune Scans
Sentinel Lymph Node Scans


HEALTH RISKS OF OTHER NUCLEAR
MEDICINE
Radiation risk varies according to your size, age, sex,
body structure, also the dose of radioactive tracer
needed to complete the exam. The greatest
possible risk from a procedure using radiation is the
development of cancer. A nuclear medicine exam,
has ever caused cancer. The radiation exposure
during a nuclear medicine exam is so small. Some
people can be allergic to the treatment but the
chances are really small.
WEBSITES
MadSci Network, . N.p.. Web. 14 May 2013.
<http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2003-
08/1060580523.Me.r.html>.
. N.p.. Web. 14 May 2013.
<http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=ge
nnuclear>.
. N.p.. Web. 14 May 2013.
<http://www.radiochemistry.org/nuclearmedicine/r
adioisotopes/01_isotopes.shtml>.