What is misadministration in nuclear medicine?
Misadministration means giving the radiopharmaceutical to the wrong patient, giving the wrong radiopharmaceutical or wrong activity to the patient, or unjustified examination of pregnant or lactating female patients.
What is radioactive diagnosis?
By measuring the behavior of the radionuclide in the body during a nuclear scan, the healthcare provider can assess and diagnose various conditions, such as tumors, infections, hematomas, organ enlargement, or cysts. A nuclear scan may also be used to assess organ function and blood circulation.
What is a radioactive pharmaceutical?
Radiopharmaceuticals, or medicinal radiocompounds, are a group of pharmaceutical drugs containing radioactive isotopes. Radiopharmaceuticals can be used as diagnostic and therapeutic agents.
What are the risks of using radioactive material in medicine?
However, exposure to too much radiation can quickly damage organs or tissues, while exposure to any amount of radiation might lead to an increase in the risk of cancer years after the exposure occurs.
What is radioactive imaging?
Nuclear medicine imaging is a method of producing images by detecting radiation from different parts of the body after a radioactive tracer is given to the patient. The images are digitally generated on a computer and transferred to a nuclear medicine physician, who interprets the images to make a diagnosis.
What is the role of radioactivity in the diagnosis of disease?
Since Rontgen’s discovery over 100 years ago, radiation has been used to create visual images of the inside of the body to diagnose medical conditions. Medical professionals use ionizing radiation in specific imaging procedures to help diagnose injuries or illness within the body.
What is the difference between radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals?
Radiopharmaceuticals are substances that contain a radioisotope, and have properties that make them effective markers in medical diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. The chemical presence of radiopharmaceuticals can relay detailed information to medical professionals that can help in diagnoses and treatments.
How are radioactive materials measured?
A material’s radioactivity is measured in becquerels (Bq, international unit) and curies (Ci, U.S. unit). Because a curie is a large unit, radioactivity results are usually shown in picocuries (pCi). A picocurie is one trillionth of a curie. The higher the number, the more radiation released by the material.
What is the effect of radiation to human body?
Exposure to very high levels of radiation, such as being close to an atomic blast, can cause acute health effects such as skin burns and acute radiation syndrome (“radiation sickness”). It can also result in long-term health effects such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.
What is a radioactive scan used for?
Nuclear medicine scans ( also known as nuclear imaging, radionuclide imaging, and nuclear scans) can help doctors find tumors and see how much the cancer has spread in the body (called the cancer’s stage). They may also be used to decide if treatment is working.
What are the uses of radioactivity?
Radioactivity has several practical applications, including tracers, medical applications, dating once-living objects, and the preservation of food.