StatPearls-/-ä 2024[Jan]; ä (ä): ä PMID33620826show ga
Nuclear medicine is conducted by administering small doses of radioactive material to a patient and then using a device, gamma cameras, to detect the location of the material. There are a variety of radiotracers that can be given to a patient either through injection, inhalation, or ingestion. The most commonly used radiotracers include indium-111, technetium-99m, gallium-67, and fluorodeoxyglucose. All of these materials emit gamma radiation, which is picked up by an imaging device to determine a specific function of the patient's body. Depending on which radiotracer is used, the radioactive material will be eliminated from the patient's body by either the lungs, urine, or stool within hours to days. The process of administering radiotracers into the patient, instead of from an external source, is referred to as endoradiology. Nuclear medicine differs from other imaging studies because it can show the anatomic structures of the body and the function of organs. It can even show processes down to the molecular and cellular level, such as blood flow, cellular metabolism, expression of cell receptors, and more.
StatPearls-/-ä 2024 ; ä (ä): ä
