Question

• Nuclear medicine is often used for diagnostic procedures; however, these procedures use radiopharmaceuticals that contain radioactive materials called radioisotopes. What factors do you think should be used to weigh the pros and cons of using this type of technology? How does your decision to use these diagnostic procedures depend on the patient (e.g. adult versus child)?

Answer 1

Nuclear Medicine: It is a medical specialty in which the use of a very tiny amount of radioactive materials, or radiopharmaceutical to study the organ and organ-related function.

FATHER OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE: JOHN LAWRENCE.

Pros and Cons: Something related to medicine and its advantages and disadvantages, which are always under consideration be mak a sensible decision.

Nuclear Medicine assesses the function of an organ after a radioactive substance is used to administrate the patient.

Radioactive Substance: Tracer elements, radiopharmaceutical.

Function: To detect abnormalities in organs, eg., thyroid(abnormal function)

Bone scan for cancer ( Sites of abnormal function).

Procedure for Nuclear Medicine: 1. It includes the hybrid or combined imaging technique. For eg., Positron emission tomography (PET).

2. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).

3. Both of these techniques coupled with CT or MRI.

When Nuclear Medicine procedure used: In the case of Child

1. It is used for a child's specific medical needs, it provides the best procedure to get the information related to the child's health and on the basis of, we decided what we need to care for the child.

2. It provides detailed information that is not identified with other imaging tests, related to testing organs.

Radiation used in this study based on some factors:

A. Based on the specific procedures.

B. Data should be required for diagnosis purposes.

3. The size of the patient should be monitored before the radiation dose.

4. setting of the all imaging equipment.

5. In children, low radiation doses are required.

6. No need for higher fluoroscopy studies in case of children it is harmful to them.

7. Keep doses as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) in case of children because the children's organs are more sensitive than adults.

8. Longer duration of radiation should be avoided in the case of children to protect their body from late develop harmful effects such as cancer.

9. Different procedures and protocols are available that help in dose reduction without compromising the diagnostic quality in pediatrics.

10. The techniques must be utilized pediatric weight-based radiopharmaceutical dosing based on established guidelines.

Benefits in the pediatric patient:

1. It is useful to provide important functional information related to body processes and disease activity.

2. It helps in the optimization of dosage, which provide more benefit than risk.

Nuclear Medicine: Weighing out the Pros and Cons:

Pros: It is hard to deny the benefit form the advancement of Nuclear medicine but it also uses powering our grids. Today, Use of radioactive nuclear material from chemotherapy to positron emission tomography (PE). Nuclear imaging, groundbreaking in the field of medicine. it is used for the detecting the presence of tumors, aneurysms, blood-related problems, thyroid issues.

PET: It uses a tiny amount of radioactive material as a radiotracer. It has also some large-scale negative effects on the body in the starting phase.

Cons: Cons of Nuclear Medicine are invasive, expensive, and didn't provide detailed feedback. There is always a risk with radioactive elements. Some times these outweigh the dangers.

NOTE: In some cases, Allergic problem arises. Low doses have no long-term negative effects.

Nuclear Medicine 3-phase bone scene: It is used in conjunction with X-rays computed tomography (CT) or MRI, the diagnostic tool is useful in the detection of bone pain, bone marrow cancer, finding shrouded fractures resulting from Osteoporosis.

In adult: Based on the principles of nonmaleficence and beneficence. to optimize the risk-benefit ratio of all interventions. Respect for the dignity of adult persons includes the right to make autonomous, informed, and free choices.