Nuclear Medicine
involves the use of radioactive isotopes (radioisotopes). It is a specialised field of
medicine that uses radio-isotopes for the assessment of organ function, the detection of
disease and the monitoring of the effects of treatment. It is highly sensitive and
specific. It provides physiological information not available from other imaging
modalities.Its greatest potential is that it provides diagnostic information of
pathological processes before the outset of structural changes in an organ.
It uses very small
amounts of radioactive material that is introduced into the body and acts as a tracer.
Information obtained
using nuclear medicine techniques is more comprehensive than other imaging procedures
because it demonstrates organ function not just structure. The result is that many
diseases and cancers may be diagnosed much earlier.
