Nuclear Medicine

 

Introduction

There has been much advancement in medicine, as health professionals continue to work to cure the ever-threatening list of ailments and conditions, some of which are fatal. Effective medical technologies such as robotic surgery, 3-D printing, artificial organs, and nuclear medicine have been introduced. While it is a fairly new practice, nuclear medicine has accomplished milestones in treating complex ailments such as cancer and heart conditions.

The word nuclear in nuclear medicine speaks volume about this practice as it utilizes nuclear radiation. There are various types of such radiations including Alpha, Beta, X-ray, and Gamma. When it comes to nuclear medicine, Gamma radiation is mostly adopted (Ozsahin, Uzun, Musa, Şentürk, Nurçin, & Ozsahin, 2017). The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has approved substances referred to as radiopharmaceuticals. These are radioisotopes such as Fluorine-18 (F-18) or Gallium-68, attached to molecules such as glucose to form Fludeoxyglucose or Octreotide. These radioactive substances also referred to as radiotracers, are attracted to a certain part of the body (Ozsahin et al., 2017). They emit Gamma rays which are then captured by special Gamma cameras to form an image through special scans such as the Positron Emission tomography (PET scan)

Information about this type of radiation is explained at large while preparing the patients for the nuclear medicine procedure. Since it is a non-invasive procedure, not much preparation is needed. Once the patient is well aware of the facts related to nuclear medicine, the doctor will need to know if the patient is pregnant. Other information needed includes a list of current medication that the patient might be taking and any known allergies. Furthermore, jewelry and other metallic objects are removed. In some cases, the patients may be asked to slip into a hospital gown (Elgazzar, 2017).

Nuclear medicine has immense benefits. One of its biggest advantages is the level of precision it offers (Ahn, 2017). Once the radiotracers are deployed, their exact destination and area of activity can be viewed. This is mostly used to identify cancer cells hence early diagnosis. In addition to precision, it offers detailed information without turning to invasive-procedures (Love & Palestro, 2016). It, therefore, offers more safety for the patients. Nuclear medicine does not come without a few challenges. Some of these include the high associated cost of the equipment and the health risks due to overexposure to radiation. Such shortcomings, however, do not compare to the overwhelming benefits.

Imaging through Nuclear medicine assists in the diagnosis and treatment of various ailments. This is made possible by enhancing the visualization of the structure and functionality of different parts of the body such as the lungs, heart, brain, bones, liver, and so many more. Thus, illnesses such as Cancer, kidney failures, respiratory problems, coronary artery disease, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, hyperthyroidism, and so many more can be diagnosed earlier before they get worse (Herrmann et al., 2015).

A Positron Emission tomography (PET scan) is one of the major applications of Nuclear medicine. It is a scan used to show body activity within a cellular level. The patient is given a radiotracer (commonly Fludeoxyglucose (¹⁸F)). Since cells require glucose, the radiotracer will accumulate more around cells which require the most amount of glucose (Tarkin et al., 2017). This activity is displayed in an image where the doctor can observe and make a diagnosis or treatment. PET scans are applied in three major areas including neurology, Cancer, and cardiology. It is a well-known fact that cancer cells require a large amount of glucose. Hence, if the radiotracer containing glucose is observed to be accumulating at a certain area, then this can be a diagnosis for Cancer. When it comes to cardiology, A PET scan observes the movement of the radiotracer at the heart, to identify circulatory problems, blockages, or damages (Tarkin et al., 2017). This information then facilitates treatment. Finally, in neurology, PET scans observe the uptake of glucose by brain cells. The slow uptake of glucose by some cells helps in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

Conclusion

Nuclear medicine is a major milestone in medicine. It has simplified the treatment of complicated illnesses by offering a safer and precise alternative. It continues to save lives by assisting in early diagnosis of fatal ailments such as Cancer and heart diseases. Through Nuclear medicine, there is hope for a healthier community.

 

References

Ahn, B. C. (2017). Nuclear medicine in the era of precision medicine.

Elgazzar, A. H. (2017). Orthopedic nuclear medicine. Springer.

Herrmann, K., Bluemel, C., Weineisen, M., Schottelius, M., Wester, H. J., Czernin, J., … & Krebs, M. (2015). Biodistribution and radiation dosimetry for a probe targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen for imaging and therapy. Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 56(6), 855-861.

Love, C., & Palestro, C. J. (2016). Nuclear medicine imaging of bone infections. Clinical radiology, 71(7), 632-646.

Ozsahin, D. U., Uzun, B., Musa, M. S., Şentürk, N., Nurçin, F. V., & Ozsahin, I. (2017). Evaluating nuclear medicine imaging devices using fuzzy PROMETHEE method. Procedia computer science, 120, 699-705.

Tarkin, J. M., Joshi, F. R., Evans, N. R., Chowdhury, M. M., Figg, N. L., Shah, A. V., … & Kuc, R. E. (2017). Detection of atherosclerotic inflammation by 68Ga-DOTATATE PET compared to [18F] FDG PET imaging. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 69(14), 1774-1791.