Betty Said:

what are the components f a gamma camera?

We Answered:

A gamma camera consists of a scintillation detector (normally sodium iodide with thallium that flashes when it detects a gamma ray). These flashes are amplified and sent to a computer to process.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_camer…

Gamma radiation us mainly used as a diagnosis tool or as an imaging technique rather than for treatment. A radioactive nuclide can be injected into the body (called a tracer) and a gamma camera detects where the nuclide has gone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_med… has quite a good review.

Micheal Said:

Nuclear Medicine - x-rays and other things...?

We Answered:

Ok first off Nuclear Medicine is NOT x-rays. Nuclear Medicine is a Radiology study where radioactive isotopes are injected into the body. No radiation is shot at the patient. With all radiation, the pros would be health reasons, such as diagnosis of disease, and treatment (radiation therapy). The cons obviously would be too much radiation can lead to health problems.

Maurice Said:

Nuclear Medicine please help?

We Answered:

sodium iodide scintillation detector crystal

Ricardo Said:

Tracers- Nuclear Medicine please help?

We Answered:

A few items of confusion here. There are many parts of the body that can be inspected other than the shoulder, and the radioactive substance is usually injected intravenously. Gamma rays are actually more penetrating, and potentially more dangerous to the body than alpha or beta radiation, and the safety of this investigation is by virtue of using very low doses. It is true that the gamma camera is used to detect where the radiation is concentrated, but the tracer and the radionuclide are the same thing. It may on occasions be appropriate to attach the tracer as a label to red cells or to albumen, if the tracer is to be kept within the circulation, or to use a specific radionuclide, such as tritium, which distributes through the entire body water, or iodine, which concentrates in the thyroid gland. There are not many examples of specific guiding processes.

Joseph Said:

How are radiopharmaceuticals detected in nuclear medicine?

We Answered:

Also counters are a method of detection, even if they don't produce an image but just numbers...
I'm thinking about the Geiger-Muller counter used to check for contaminations, the proportional counter used for dose calibration and the crystal detector used for thyriod uptake calculation.

Dave Said:

Tracers- Nuclear Medicine please help?

We Answered:

Yes that is correct.

Deanna Said:

Tracers - Nuclear Medicine?

We Answered:

The majority of radiopharmaceuticals are injected intravenously (IV), and not just into the tissue.

These are some, but not all, that are injected IV: Cardiolite (sestamibi), Myoview (tetrofosmin), Choletec (mebrofenin), MDP, HDP, MAA, MAG-3.

These (some not all) are usually given orally: I-123 capsule, I-131 capsule (for therapy), and sulfur colloid (for gastric emptying, etc.) Xe-133 gas (lung ventilation).

The majority of the radiopharmaceuticals used are tagged with Technetium-99m and are gamma emitters.

Gamma cameras are used to detect the tracers.

"We use gamma rays for tracing as they can easily pass through the body without damaging it. Secondly we use a substance with a relativity short half-life (a few hours), long enough to take measurements but short enough not to cause damage."- I agree with that, however some of the tracers used will have a longer half life.

The radionuclide is the radioactive part which is tagged with the specific compound for that specific drug. Together they form the radiotracer or radiopharmaceutical.

After we inject (times vary depending on scan) we wait and then image. We are usually taking pictures of how well an organ or an organ system is functioning. The keyword is functioning.

You give the appropriate drug for the appropriate organ system and then you position the patient’s body accordingly. The drugs won't go to one place only... sometimes they will highlight several organs and not just the intended one.