Nuclear Medicine Therapy using Radiopharmaceuticals

  

Nuclear medicine therapy using radiopharmaceuticals

The emerging division of radiology that examines organ function and structure using highly tiny quantities of radioactive materials, called radiopharmaceuticals, is known as nuclear medicines. In nuclear medicine studies, radiopharmaceuticals are delivered orally or intravenously to the patient (Czernin et al., 2019). Patients' body areas or organ systems being studied become radioactive for a minute. The radiations (mainly gamma rays) are emitted from a specific body part and can be detected and analyzed using a gamma camera.

Targeted body parts absorb radiopharmaceuticals. These are also known as a radionuclide or radioactive tracers. There are several types of radionuclides accessible. These tracers are the foundation of nuclear medicine. The type of radionuclide utilized will be determined by the study and the bodily part under investigation.

The alpha, beta, or gamma rays are emitted during their radioactive decay. Gamma emitters are, therefore, the ideal radiotracers. Gamma rays are low ionizers that are also penetrative enough to be detected outside the body. Nuclear medicine enhances their radioactivity for a short period.

Technetium 99m is the most widely utilized radioelement. It allows for the investigation of many bodily areas and emits gamma rays solely, making it suited to gamma-camera detectors. These elements include thallium, iodine, technetium, gallium, and xenon in various forms. Potassium-40 and carbon-14 are present in all living objects.

Patients preparation for nuclear medicine procedures

A limited quantity of radioisotope is given to the patient, either orally or intravenously, to increase the visibility of specific organs or vascular structures during a nuclear medicine test. And once the radiotracer has reached the part of the body being studied, the radiologist puts a gamma detector camera near the site and starts the scanning procedure. The images are visulize on a computer screen (Yordanova et al., 2017).

Advantages and limitations of nuclear medicine

There may be certain following limitations of nuclear medicine ;

·                     Rare allergic reactions

·                     Radiation risk

·                     Ionizing radiation imaging of pregnant mothers is typically avoided if at all feasible.

·          Breast-feeding and close contact with the child might need to be restricted. Because radiation can pass to the baby.

There are many benefits of nuclear medicine. It helps the doctor to evaluate the functioning of a particular body organ. Effects of injury, disease, or infection are studied in this way.

 Ailments diagnosed via nuclear medicine procedures.

Different types of cancers, hyperthyroidism, thyroid cancer, lymphomas, and myelomas, are detected by this therapy. The particular scan is performed for a special part (Velleman et al., 2021). Renal scans ( for kidneys), thyroid, bone, gallium, heart, brain, and breast scans are performed. Mammograms are used to locate cancerous areas in the breast.

Three applications of nuclear medicine to Positron Emission Tomography

Positron emission tomography (PET) uses a minor amount of radioisotope, a specific camera, and a computer to analyze the functioning of targeted tissues and organs. It can detect illness at an early stage by detecting alterations at the cellular level.

It is also called PET imaging or a scan, a type of nuclear medicine imaging. It accurately analyzes essential body functions such as metabolism. PET can detect the functioning of tissue and organ (Agostinelli et al., 2016). Doctors perform PET  scans to:

·         diagnosis cancer

·         determines cancer spreads.

·         determine the effects of myocardial infarction on heart muscles

·         assess if some regions of the heart muscle may improve from angioplasty or heart surgery.

·    Brain abnormalities such as tumors, memory problems, seizures, and other central nervous system diseases are studied.

· To diagnose dementias, different genetic disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, and cerebrovascular accident (stroke)

·         Specific surgical sites of the brain are located before surgery.

 

References

Agostinelli, C., Gallamini, A., Stracqualursi, L., Agati, P., Tripodo, C., Fuligni, F., Sista, M. T., Fanti, S., Biggi, A., & Vitolo, U. J. T. L. H. (2016). The combined role of biomarkers and interim PET scan in predicting treatment outcome in classical Hodgkin's lymphoma: a retrospective, European, multicentre cohort study. 3(10), e467-e479.

Czernin, J., Sonni, I., Razmaria, A., & Calais, J. J. J. o. N. M. (2019). The future of nuclear medicine as an independent specialty. 60(Supplement 2), 3S-12S.

Velleman, T., Noordzij, W., Dierckx, R. A., Ongena, Y., & Kwee, T. C. J. J. o. N. M. (2021). The new integrated nuclear medicine and radiology residency program in the Netherlands: why do residents choose to subspecialize in atomic medicine and why not? , 62(7), 905-909.

Yordanova, A., Eppard, E., Kürpig, S., Bundschuh, R. A., Schönberger, S., Gonzalez-Carmona, M., Feldmann, G., Ahmadzadehfar, H., Essler, M. J. O., & therapy. (2017). Theranostics in nuclear medicine practice. 10, 4821.