Isotope study
Scintillation;
Radionuclide organ imaging;
Radioisotope; Radioactive uptake; PET scan; Nuclear Radiography; Nuclear medicine scan
General information about an Isotope study
Nuclear Radiology is a sub-specialty of Radiology in which
radioisotopes (compounds containing radioactive forms of atoms) are introduced into the
body for the purpose of imaging, evaluating organ function, or localizing disease or
tumors.
Unlike conventional or computed radiography (such as plain X-rays and CT scans) in
which X-ray beams are generated within a machine and projected through the patient, in
isotope studies the radiation (gamma rays) originates from within a radiopharmaceutical
(material tagged with a radioisotope) in the body.
Special detector cameras are placed close against the area of interest for a period of
time, and once enough gamma rays are "seen," a computer creates an image
representing where the isotope localized within the organ or body.
Generally, nuclear medicine scans do not provide the level of anatomic detail seen on
X-ray, ultrasound, CT, or MR images. However, correlation with other imaging, clinical
information, and laboratory results helps identify and confirm disease.
What are the risk for an Isotope
study
Generally, the energy of emitted radiation in nuclear
radiography is similar to that of X-rays used in plain films and CT scans. There is
potential for cell damage and mutations in egg or sperm cells.
The target organs of the isotope in the examination may receive the majority of the
radiation dose, however, the amounts used are strictly controlled and regulated to use the
least amount necessary for the purpose of imaging.
The radiation doses used for TREATMENT of certain disorders (for instance, iodine for
thyroid disease) are many times greater and will require additional instructions to
protect others during treatment.
For radiation, the greatest concern is with pregnant or nursing women. Infants and
fetuses are more sensitive to the effects of radiation because they are still undergoing
organ development.
Higher doses of radiation and repeated exposures to radiation increase the risk.
Radioactive materials decay (release energy and then transform into non-radioactive atoms)
at specific rates as the body continuously removes them (usually filtered by the lungs,
kidneys, or liver, depending on the compound used). Thus, all radioisotope activity
eventually ceases, usually within a few days.
Risks related to injections and allergic reactions to the radioisotope exist, but are
rare |