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Nuclear Medicine

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Nuclear Medicine
What is nuclear medicine? Nuclear medicine is a division of medical imaging that detects and treats diseases and irregularities in the body such as cancer and neurological illnesses through the use of radioactive chemicals. The techniques used in nuclear medicine allow physicians to attain knowledge about patient conditions without the invasion of personal space through procedures such as biopsies. The equipment and machines used within this branch are important for research as they allow for a better understanding and development of disease treatment and human biology. Within the past 50 years, there have been many advancements in this field of imaging that have had many societal and economic benefits as well as concerns. What is presently …show more content…
Recent advancements in nuclear medicine have resulted in significant improvement of patient care. Some of the current uses for nuclear medicine consist of relying on equipment such as positron emission tomography/computed tomography machines and single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography machines to aid in the diagnosis of certain diseases and determine the severity of those diseases, implementing therapies to treat cancers, thyroid disease, etc. and analyzing patient response to specific treatments to ensure that alternative treatments can be started sooner if one is negatively impacting the …show more content…
Radiopharmaceuticals have more complex obstacles and have their own set of regulations for approval. Toxicology testing is a specific obligation that is uncertain, and can create additional financial barriers that exceed the budget of academic researchers and developers. The requirements and barriers can become so extensive that some primary analysts and clinical investigators have taken it upon themselves to complete their trials in other countries that have less regulations and a higher success rate. Radiochemistry processes need extensive alterations and development to be able to put medications on the market at the production levels necessary for patient demand. This research is difficult to gain financial support as the research performed is purely based on

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