Nuclear medicine is a specialized field in radiology that
uses radioactive elements, known as radiopharmaceuticals, to diagnose, manage,
treat, and prevent serious diseases.
Nuclear medicine scan has three levels. This includes
radiopharmaceutical administration, taking images, and image interpretation.
In nuclear medicine, the radiopharmaceuticals are injected into the area of
interest. After a certain period of time the radiopharmaceuticals get
distributed in the body, and this is measured with a gamma camera. Nuclear
medicine imaging incorporates various disciplines like chemistry, physics,
mathematics, computer technology, and medicine.
Unlike conventional radiology, nuclear medicine studies the
function and structure of the organs. This will help the physicians to study
various aspects of the disease. Nuclear medicine is extremely sensitive to
abnormalities in an organ's structure or function, and identifies the
abnormalities at a very early stage. Thus, this branch of medicine is mainly
used to diagnose and treat chronic diseases.
Nuclear medicine is considered as the most safe,
painless, and cost-effective method to treat and diagnose diseases. The
radiation dose and pharmaceuticals used are selected will utmost care,
ensuring that the patients are less exposed to radiation. With the help of
radiopharmaceuticals, testing can be carried out accurately.
Radiopharmaceuticals are not dyes, so they will not cause any reactions.
Today, nuclear medicine
has become the most important part of patient care. And, this method is widely
used for treating and diagnosing urology, orthopedics, oncology,
cardiovascular, pulmonary, and neurology problems.
