What are some radioactive isotopes used in medicine?
What are some radioactive isotopes used in medicine?
The most common radioisotopes used in the medical industry are Technetium-99m, Iodine-131, and Molybdenum-99. 85% of all nuclear medical examinations use Mo/Tc generators for diagnosing problems with the liver, bones, or lungs [6].
What kind of radiation is commonly used in medicine and for what?
X-rays, gamma rays, and other forms of ionizing radiation are used to diagnose and treat some medical conditions. This can be in the form of radiation that penetrates from outside the body, or radioactive particles that are swallowed or inserted into the body.
What is radioactivity in medicine?
Nuclear medicine procedures help detect and treat diseases by using a small amount of radioactive material, called a radiopharmaceutical. Some radiopharmaceuticals are used with imaging equipment to detect diseases. Radiopharmaceuticals can also be placed inside the body near a cancerous tumor to shrink or destroy it.
How is radioactive radiation used in medical?
Radiation is used in monitoring the response of tumors to treatment and in distinguishing malignant tumors from benign ones. Bone and liver scans can detect cancers that have spread to these organs. Half of all people with cancer are treated with radiation, and the number of those who have been cured continues to rise.
What radioactive materials are used in nuclear medicine?
The radioactive substance, called a radionuclide (radiopharmaceutical or radioactive tracer), is absorbed by body tissue. Several different types of radionuclides are available. These include forms of the elements technetium, thallium, gallium, iodine, and xenon.
Is Carbon 14 used in medicine?
Carbon-14 can be used as a radioactive tracer in medicine. In the initial variant of the urea breath test, a diagnostic test for Helicobacter pylori, urea labeled with approximately 37 kBq (1.0 μCi) carbon-14 is fed to a patient (i.e., 37,000 decays per second).
What are the uses of gamma rays in medicine?
Gamma rays are widely used in medicine and specifically in the area of oncology to treat malignant and cancerous tumors during a process called gamma knife surgery. In this type of treatment, concentrated beams of gamma rays are directed at tumors in order to kill cancerous cells.
What is radiation in medicine?
Radiation is used in many medical imaging procedures. Medical imaging procedures deliver x-ray beams, a form of ionizing radiation, to a specific part of the body creating a digital image or film that shows the structures inside that area like bones, tissues, and organs.
How is nuclear used in medicine?
Nuclear medicine uses radioactive material inside the body to see how organs or tissue are functioning (for diagnosis) or to target and destroy damaged or diseased organs or tissue (for treatment).