As an integral part of patient care, nuclear medicine is used in the diagnosis, management, treatment and prevention of serious disease. Nuclear medicine imaging procedures often identify abnormalities very early in the progression of a disease - long before some medical problems are apparent with other diagnostic tests. This early detection allows a disease to be treated early in its course when there may be a more successful prognosis.
Nuclear medicine uses very small amounts of radioactive materials, or radiopharmaceuticals, to diagnose and treat disease. Radiopharmaceuticals are substances that are attracted to specific organs, bones, or tissues. When radiopharmaceuticals are introduced into the body, they produce emissions. A special type of camera, a gamma or PET camera, is used to transform these emissions into images and data which provide information about the area of the body being imaged.
Although Nuclear Medicine is commonly used for diagnostic purposes, it also provides valuable therapeutic applications such as treatment of hyperthyroidism, thyroid cancer, blood imbalances and pain relief from certain types of bone cancers.
Moreover, the ability to treat a disease with radiopharmaceuticals and to record and make a "picture" of the form and structure of an organ was invaluable. In the mid-sixties and the years that followed, the growth of nuclear medicine as a specialty discipline was phenomenal. The advances in nuclear medicine technology and instrument manufacturers were critical to this development. The 1970s brought the visualization of most other organs of the body with nuclear medicine, including liver and spleen scanning, brain tumor localization, and studies of the gastrointestinal track. The 1980s provided the use of radiopharmaceuticals for such critical diagnoses as heart disease and the development of cutting-edge nuclear medicine cameras and computers. Today, there are nearly 100 different nuclear medicine imaging procedures which uniquely provide information about virtually every major organ system within the body. Nuclear medicine is an integral part of patient care, and an important diagnostic and therapeutic specialty in the armamentarium of medical science.
Physicians
Physicians certified by the American Board of Nuclear Medicine must first receive a medical degree and have one or more years of training in a medical specialty other than nuclear medicine. A further two years of training in nuclear medicine is then required during which special instruction is given in physics, radiopharmacy and radiation biology, as well as patient evaluation, radionuclide therapy and diagnostic studies. Emphasis is given to cost-effective approaches to patient care.
After successful completion of at least three years of post-doctoral training, a physician may take the certifying examination given by the American Board of Nuclear Medicine.
Technologists
Nationally approved training programs for nuclear medicine technologists have been in existence for many years. These include training in radiation safety, the correct handling of radioactive materials, and techniques of performing nuclear medicine exams. On completion of high school and at least two more years of study and hospital training, the student must pass an examination to be identified as a Certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist (CNMT).
Scientists
Leading universities and teaching hospitals provide specialized training to (1) physicists, who assure the reliability and quality of the instruments used in the performance of tests; (2) pharmacists, who specialize in providing reliable and safe radiopharma-ceuticals for patient exams; and (3) radiochemists, who develop and improve the radiopharmaceuticals.
Although we don't think much about it, everyone is continually exposed to radiation from natural and man-made sources. For most people, natural background radiation from space, rocks, soil, and even carbon and potassium atoms in his or her own body, accounts for 85 percent of their annual exposure. Additional exposure is received from consumer products such as household smoke detectors, color television sets, and luminous dial clocks. The remainder is from x-rays and radioactive materials used for medical diagnosis and therapy. With most nuclear medicine procedures, the patient recieves about the same amount of radiation as that acquired in a few months of normal living.
Because of his or her special training, the nuclear medicine physician is able to select the most appropriate examination for the patient's particular medical problem, and thereby avoid any unnecessary radiation exposure.
There are nearly 100 different nuclear medicine imaging procedures available today.
Nuclear medicine uniquely provides information about both the function and structure of virtually every major organ system within the body.
Nuclear medicine procedures are among the safest diagnostic imaging tests available.
The amount of radiation in a nuclear medicine procedure is comparable to that received during an X-ray.
Nuclear medicine procedures are painless and do not require anesthesia.
Children commonly undergo nuclear medicine procedures to evaluate bone pain, injuries, infection, or kidney and bladder function.
Common nuclear medicine applications include diagnosis and treatment of hyperthyroidism (Grave's Disease), cardiac stress tests to analyze heart function, bone scans for orthopedic injuries, lung scans for blood clots, and liver and gall bladder procedures to diagnose abnormal function or blockages.
Nuclear medicine is an integral part of patient care and saves countless lives annually.
| Return to Home Page |