Nuclear Medicine Technology

Nuclear medicine has been used in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases all over the body since the 1950s. It is used in place of surgery or other painful, costly and risky procedures and is very safe. It uses radiopharmaceuticals to image and treat disease.

Function

• Nuclear medicine can be used to treat disease by placing the radiopharmaceuticals directly in the diseased part of the body. Radiopharmaceuticals can be injected, swallowed or inhaled. Special imaging cameras locate the radiopharmaceuticals and provide images that show the functioning and form of the targeted area. Conditions that nuclear medicine is used to diagnose and treat include stroke and Alzheimer's disease, tumor localization and staging, arthritic changes, renal scarring, coronary artery disease, lung transplant rejection and blood cell disorders.

History

• Nuclear medicine was first used in 1946 to treat thyroid cancer with radioactive iodine, and it became widely used during the 1950s. Over the last 50 years, more forms of nuclear medicine, as well as more uses for it, have been found and put into practice, including the development of compounds for use in cancer treatment in the 1980s and the PET scan in the 1990s.

Precaution

• Those that use nuclear medicine technology are highly trained to make sure the procedures are safe. The amount of radioactive material is low and the patient's exposure is similar to that involved in getting an X-ray. Alternatives to nuclear treatment and diagnostics can involve surgical procedures, which come with a larger amount of risk.

Careers

• Many programs are available for training to become a nuclear medicine physician or a nuclear medicine technologist. Each occupation has requires a specific certification. There are different programs available to technologists based on their desired level of certification.

Interesting Facts

• It is estimated that there are 16 million procedures done each year that involve nuclear medicine. Almost half of these procedures relate to cardiac testing. A large number of the remaining half are related to cancer treatment and diagnosis. There are almost 100 different imaging procures today that use nuclear medicine, and they are some of the safest tests. These procedures are painless for the patient. Most doctors do not even use anesthesia during the procedures.