What is Nuclear Medicine?
Nuclear Medicine and its History
In its simplest definition, nuclear medicine is the use of radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
Currently, in our country, universities, large provinces, state and insurance hospitals and some private centers serving in the nuclear medicine departments of almost every organ system related to the function (function) is performed. The diagnostic tests performed in these centers are scintigraphic imaging of thyroid, bone, heart, kidney and many other organs and diseases and also in the treatment of some tumor and inflammatory diseases, especially thyroid diseases.
The history of nuclear medicine dates back to the beginning of the 1800s, when the British chemist John Dalton put forward the atomic theory, the German Wilheim Konrad Roentgen found the X-rays in 1895, and the Ernest Lawrence in America in 1928 to make a cyclotron. The most important step in the development of nuclear medicine was Marie Curie's discovery of artificial radioactivity in 1934. However, many historians point to the 1940s when radioactive iodine began to be used in the treatment of toxic goiter (toxic goiter) as the true beginning of nuclear medicine.
Technetium, which is still the most commonly used radioactive material in nuclear medicine imaging, was artificially produced in 1937 and commercial production, distribution and use began after 1965. In the following years, nuclear medicine has been found to be used in imaging of liver and spleen and brain and nuclear medicine has started to develop rapidly.
The first experts in the field of nuclear medicine began to grow in 1972 in the United States.
Commonly Used Terminological Concepts in Nuclear Medicine
Scintigraphy: Nuclear medicine is the name given to the process.
Radiopharmaceutical: In nuclear medicine, it is called substances consisting of very low amounts of radioactivity that can be given to patients in various ways (injection or oral) and chemical drugs that bind to it.
Planar Method: If the films shot in nuclear medicine are shot in one plane and in two directions, it is called the planar method.
SPECT: Images are taken from the perimeter of the organ to be filmed at an angle of 180 or 360 degrees. As a result of the shooting, raw images are processed by computer. In this method, the organs are examined in 3D.
PET: The radioactivity used here is the positron-emitting rays. Other parts are like SPECT.
Applications of Nuclear Medicine
Neurological applications
Diagnosis of paralysis in some stroke diseases
Diagnosis of dementia
For evaluation of brain - neck vascular surgery
Epilepsy (epilepsy) patients scheduled for surgery
Oncological applications
Demonstration of the location of some tumors
Staging of tumors
Evaluating whether there is a jump in tumors
Treatment of pain in cancerous bones
Orthopedic applications
Demonstration of hidden fractures
Bone infections
Kidney applications
Demonstration of urinary tract obstructions
Investigation of urine leakage to the kidneys
Investigation of kidney infections
Heart Applications
Diagnosis of coronary artery diseases
Evaluation of by-pass surgery
To investigate the cause of the disease in some hypertensive patients
Follow-up of patients in renal transplantation
Lung applications
Diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (blood coagulation in the lungs)
Other Applications
Goiter diseases
Various diseases of the esophagus and stomach
Diseases of the gallbladder
Intestinal bleeding
Suspected hidden infection
Examination of lymph pathways
Examination of tear pathways
Examination of the functions of salivary glands
Imaging of different tumors with various radiopharmaceuticals
Investigation of hidden infections in the body
Nuclear Medicine Tests
Tc-99m thyroid scintigraphy
I-131 thyroid scintigraphy
I-131 thyroid uptake
I-131 full body scan
Parathyroid scintigraphy
Thyroid suppression scintigraphy
DTPA renal scintigraphy
DMSA renal scintigraphy
Mag3 kidney scintigraphy
Radionuclide cystoureterogram
Adrenal cortex scintigraphy
Testicular scintigraphy
hysterosalpingography
Bone scintigraphy
Bone marrow scintigraphy
Three Phase Bone Scintigraphy
Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy
Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (rest)
Tc-99m PYP myocardial infarction
I-123 MIBG sympathetic innervation scintigraphy
Radionuclide ventriculography (MUGA)
First pass angiocardiography
Shunt analysis
Radionuclide venography
lymphocintigraphy
Brain perfusion scintigraphy
Tc-99m HMPAO Brain SPECT
I-123 brain receptor imaging
cisternography
Determination of CSF leak
CSF shunt rating
GIS bleeding detection
Esophageal transit time and motility study
Calculation of gastric emptying time
Le Veen shunt analysis
Gastroesophageal reflux
Meckel scintigraphy
KC-Spleen scintigraphy
Hepatobiliary scintigraphy
Lung perfusion scintigraphy
Lung ventilation scintigraphy
Aerosol inhalation scintigraphy
Tl-201 Tumor screening
Ga-67 scintigraphy
the Radyoimmunsintigraf
Tumor imaging with octreotide
Imaging of chemoresistance with Tc-99m sestamibi
DMSA-V tumor imaging
MIBG scintigraphy
I-131 MIBG treatment
