Radiation in Healthcare: Nuclear 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).

Although we all are exposed to ionizing radiation every day from the natural environment, added exposures like those from nuclear medicine procedures can slightly increase the risk of developing cancer later in life.
Talk to your healthcare provider to decide on the best procedure for your health needs and discuss any concerns you have.

What You Should Know

Your healthcare provider may recommend a nuclear medicine procedure to diagnose or treat a health problem.

When It’s Used for Diagnosis

Nuclear medicine can show how the organs or tissues are functioning. For most diagnostic procedures, a tracer, which contains the radioactive material, is injected, swallowed, or inhaled. Then the healthcare provider or radiologist (a healthcare professional with special training to use radiation in healthcare) uses a radiation detector to see how much of the tracer is absorbed or how it reacts in the organ or tissue. This will give the provider information about how well it is functioning.

Common uses of nuclear medicine for diagnosis include:

Scans of the heart, lung, kidneys, gallbladder, and thyroid

In a type of nuclear medicine called positron emission tomography (PET), the tracer is used to show the natural activity of cells, providing more detailed information on how organs are working and if there is damage to the cells. PET scans are often combined with computed tomography (CT) scans or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which provide three-dimensional images of the organ.

Common uses of PET scans include:

Diagnosing heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and brain disorders
Getting detailed information about cancerous tumors to decide the best treatment option

When it’s used for treatment

When used in treatment, the tracer targets a harmful organ or tissue and radioactivity damages or stops the growth of its cells.

Two common uses of nuclear medicine for treatment include radioactive iodine therapy and brachytherapy (a form of radiation treatment where a sealed radiation source is placed inside or next to the area requiring treatment).

soruce: www.cdc.gov