See Also: Nuclear medicine(medicine)
Nuclear Medicine(health)
nuclear medicine(encyclopedia)
Nuclear medicine scan(health)
nuclear medicine physician(medicine)
Kiran Hospital for Nuclear Medicine(health)
nuclear medicine department, hospital(medicine)
Nuclear medicine imaging techniques(health)
Herbal medicine (botanical medicine, herbology, phytomedicine)(health)
Medicine Lodge Memorial Hospital- Medicine Lodge(health)

nuclear medicine (sh)




Medical specialty using radioactive elements or isotopes for diagnosis and treatment of disease.

A radioisotope is introduced into the body (usually by injection). The radiation it emits, detected by a scanner and recorded, reflects its distribution in different tissues and can reveal the presence, size, and shape of abnormalities in various organs. The isotopes used have short half-lives and decay before radioactivity causes any damage. Different isotopes tend to concentrate in particular organs (e.g., iodine-131 in the thyroid). Radioactive substances are also implanted to treat small, early-stage cancers. This yields a slow, continuous dose that limits damage to normal cells while destroying tumour cells. See also computed axial tomography; diagnostic imaging; positron emission tomography; radiation therapy; radiology.