Quote:
Originally Posted by Karen
Having a Medical Technologist (ASCP) degree I can tell you there is a section of laboratory diagnostics and treatment that uses small, safe doses of quickly decaying radioactive materials. They however are not read by CT scanners, but by a gamma camera.
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/servic...r_Imaging.aspx
Radioactive tracers used in nuclear medicine are, in most cases, injected into a vein. But for some studies they may be given by mouth. These tracers are not dyes or medicines, and they have no side effects. The amount of radiation a patient receives in a typical nuclear medicine scan tends to be very low.
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/...r/default.aspx
Nuclear medicine tests are very sensitive and can detect many diseases at early stages. Unlike MRI and CT scans that give only structural information, nuclear medicine tests provide information about the functional status and viability of different organs and tissues.
Here's a good overview http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_medicine and I see that now they can be used in imaging to combine both CT scan technology and the nuclear imaging by superimposing one over the other.
|
Thanks for taking the trouble to post the information, Karen.
Much appreciated. I wish I hadn't said anything now...
But the point is cleared up......