Nuclear Medicine Physics

Excerpt

Nuclear medicine uses radioactive materials and their emitted radiation from the body to diagnose and treat disease. Unstable atoms (radionuclides) are typically administered orally or intravenously and, less commonly, intra-arterially, directly into the CSF spaces, peritoneum, or joint space. These radionuclides are often chelated (labeled or tagged) with other molecules that provide them with their physiologic properties, forming a radiopharmaceutical and allowing the combination to localize preferentially to organs of interest. Specialized cameras are used to record the radiation emission from these unstable atoms, allowing for the localization of pathology and guiding treatment.