Nuclear Medicine uses the nuclear properties of
matter in diagnosis and therapy. In diagnosis,
radioactive substances are administered to
patients and the radiation emitted is measured.
Most diagnostic tests use a gamma camera to
capture an image, but other tests may use probes
or counters. In therapy, radionuclides are
administered to treat disease or provide palliative
imaging tests because it shows the physiological function of the system as opposed to
the system’s anatomy. Sometimes these results are superimposed over the results of a
CT Scan or MRI to show the area of the body the radiopharmaceutical is located in.
This practice is called image fusion or co-registration. The results of a test involving
nuclear medicine are usually viewed as a dataset comprising one or more images. With
multi-image datasets, the array of images may be presented as a time sequence, where
the gamma camera is moved relative to the patient. This may provide for better analysis
of the system being viewed. The radiation dosage provided to patients during a Nuclear
Medicine test is minimal and can be compared to the
amount of radiation given during an x-ray. The difference is x-rays are given externally
and nuclear medicine is given internally.
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