Use of Radioisotopes In Medicine
December 12
2013
Radioisotopes are used in the branch of nuclear medicine to convey information on the operation of a person’s organs, or to treat specific diseases. Most of the time, radioisotopes are used by physicians and other scientists such as chemists, to make a quick and precise diagnoses of the patient’s illness. The bones, heart, and thyroid can easily be viewed or imaged with the use of radioisotopes in medicine. Additionally, in some cases radioisotopes can be used to treat diseased organs or even tumors. This treatment is expended in most forms of cancer. Over 10,000 hospitals worldwide use radioisotopes in medicine. Approximately 90% of all procedures are for diagnoses. The most popular radioisotope for diagnoses is technetium-99, used for roughly 40 million procedures on a years scale, accounting for a total of 80% of all nuclear medicine procedures. Techetium-99 is a strong choice for diagnoses, because it emits only beta particles and not gamma rays. This causes minimal amounts particles infiltrate too far into the human body, as beta particles do not contain the persistence. However, technetium-99 does have a rather large half-life of 211,00 years. Still however, it is more or less safe, as it only emits beta particles. The isotope is capable of evaluating the medical condition of the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, the spleen, bones, and can conduct general blood flow study. (http://www.worldnuclear.org/info/Non-Power-Nuclear-Applications/Radioisotopes/Radioisotopes-in-Medicine/) Diagnostic techniques within nuclear medicine use radioactive tracers. These tracers emit gamma rays from within the body. The tracers are generally short-lived chemical compounds, which allow specific physiological processes to be destroyed. The tracers can be given to the subject by injection, inhalation, or orally. Initially, photons are detected by the ‘gamma camera’, which has the ability to view organs from a variety of different angles. The camera
2013
Radioisotopes are used in the branch of nuclear medicine to convey information on the operation of a person’s organs, or to treat specific diseases. Most of the time, radioisotopes are used by physicians and other scientists such as chemists, to make a quick and precise diagnoses of the patient’s illness. The bones, heart, and thyroid can easily be viewed or imaged with the use of radioisotopes in medicine. Additionally, in some cases radioisotopes can be used to treat diseased organs or even tumors. This treatment is expended in most forms of cancer. Over 10,000 hospitals worldwide use radioisotopes in medicine. Approximately 90% of all procedures are for diagnoses. The most popular radioisotope for diagnoses is technetium-99, used for roughly 40 million procedures on a years scale, accounting for a total of 80% of all nuclear medicine procedures. Techetium-99 is a strong choice for diagnoses, because it emits only beta particles and not gamma rays. This causes minimal amounts particles infiltrate too far into the human body, as beta particles do not contain the persistence. However, technetium-99 does have a rather large half-life of 211,00 years. Still however, it is more or less safe, as it only emits beta particles. The isotope is capable of evaluating the medical condition of the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, the spleen, bones, and can conduct general blood flow study. (http://www.worldnuclear.org/info/Non-Power-Nuclear-Applications/Radioisotopes/Radioisotopes-in-Medicine/) Diagnostic techniques within nuclear medicine use radioactive tracers. These tracers emit gamma rays from within the body. The tracers are generally short-lived chemical compounds, which allow specific physiological processes to be destroyed. The tracers can be given to the subject by injection, inhalation, or orally. Initially, photons are detected by the ‘gamma camera’, which has the ability to view organs from a variety of different angles. The camera