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Concepts of Nuclear Medicine

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Running head: NUCLEAR MEDICINE 1

Concepts of Nuclear Medicine

NUCLEAR MEDICINE 2
Concepts of Nuclear Medicine * What type of radiation is typically exploited in most nuclear medicine procedures?
Nuclear Medicine is a specialty used to diagnose and treat diseases in a painless and safe manner, which uses a pharmaceutical (medicine) that’s attached to a small amount of radioactive material (a radioisotope). The procedures can often identify disease in an early stage, thus allowing for treatment to be started sooner. The most common of nuclear enhanced medical procedures involve the use of x-rays — a type of radiation that can pass through our skin. X-rays and other forms of radiation also have a variety of therapeutic uses. When used in this way, they’re intended to kill cancerous tissue, reduce the size of a tumor, or reduce pain ("Medicinal Radiocompounds). * How are patients prepared for nuclear medicine procedures?
For a nuclear medicine exam, the patient is given a small amount of radioisotope, either orally or by injection, to enhance the visualization of selected organs or vascular structures. * What are the advantages and limitations of nuclear medicine? Advantages
Nuclear medicine is a tool for physicians and scientists to diagnose several diseases. Nuclear Medicine is already being used as the most effective treatment for many cancerous diseases and conditions. X-rays used in nuclear medicine can scan the most sensitive parts of the body of a person just in case a serious disease is already developing in it. While utilizing this tool in medicine, physicians can easily perform their responsibility of treating their patients ("Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Medicine").

NUCLEAR MEDICINE 3
Limitations
Nuclear medicine procedures can be time consuming. It can take several hours to days for the radiotracer to accumulate in the body part of interest and imaging may take up to several hours to perform, though in some cases, newer equipment is available that can substantially shorten the procedure time.
The resolution of structures of the body with nuclear medicine may not be as high as with other imaging techniques, such as CT or MRI. However, nuclear medicine scans are more sensitive than other techniques for a variety of indications, and the functional information gained from nuclear medicine exams is often unobtainable by other imaging techniques ("Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Medicine").
Nuclear medicine requires huge amount of investment. It’s very expensive to construct a facility, so it might take several years to make its advancements visible in all of the medical institutions around the world. * What ailments are typically diagnosed and treated via nuclear medicine procedures?
Cancer
Cancer is one of the more popular diseases diagnosed and treated by Nuclear Medicine, by determining the presence or spread of cancer in various parts of the body. Procedures can localize sentinel lymph nodes before surgery in patients with breast cancer or skin and soft tissue tumors. Nuclear Medicine can be at the base of a treatment plan. It can also be used to evaluate responses to therapy, detect the recurrence of cancer, and detect rare tumors of the pancreas and adrenal glands ("Nuclear Medicine Examples")

NUCLEAR MEDICINE 4
Renal
Nuclear Medicine analyze native and transplant kidney function, detect urinary tract obstruction, evaluate for hypertension related to the kidney arteries evaluate kidneys for infection versus scar, and detect and follow-up urinary reflux
("Nuclear Medicine Examples"). * Nuclear medicine therapy using radiopharmaceuticals
Medical Imaging and Diagnosis
Radiopharmaceuticals are a group of pharmaceutical drugs that are radioactive. Radiopharmaceuticals are used as Diagnostic and therapeutic agents. They are used as the radio tracers to diagnose the diseased tissues in a body ("Nuclear Medicine Examples").

Therapy
Radioactive materials are used for therapeutic irradiation of cells and/or organs. A small amount of a radiopharmaceutical (Rph) is introduced into the body by injection or ingestion. The Rph is attracted to particular organs or tissues., and the radioisotope releases small amounts of radiation which will act on target cells and/or organs ("Nuclear Medicine Examples").
Summary
When we hear the word “Nuclear” we may automatically relate it to the generation of electricity from Nuclear Power, which is a technology used in many countries all over the world. We must also consider Nuclear Medicine, which has made and will continue in advancements in the future. Nuclear Medicine, can be used to Prevent, Diagnose, Treat, and Monitor diseases at their earliest stage. This technology allows physicians and scientists to research and discover the origin of many diseases such as Cancer. This technology is a metaphor of hope to find cures and more effective treatments for life threatening diseases. Nuclear Medicine administered by trained clinicians will reduce the risk of causing cancer as a result of excessive or improper radiation exposure. I am hopeful that we will continue to advance as a country with this technology, and it will lead to a cure for some of our major ailments.

References
Medicinal Radiocompounds. (2015, May 20). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:10, July 9, 2015, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Medicinal_radiocompounds&oldid=663263042

Nuclear Medicine Examples. (n.d.). Retrieved July 9, 2015, from http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hph.html

National Research Council (US) and Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on State of the Science of Nuclear Medicine. (n.d.). Nuclear Medicine Imaging in Diagnosis and Treatment. Retrieved July 9, 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11475/#a200130bcddd00044

Uses of Radiation. (2014, October 17). Retrieved July 9, 2015, from http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1314/ML13141A188.pdf

PROS AND CONS OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE. (2014, April 27). Retrieved July 9, 2015, from http://healthresearchfunding.org/

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