Over the years, the healthcare sector has evolved tremendously with the discovery of advanced equipment, treatments, and medicines. These improvements have enabled healthcare professionals to derive several benefits while treating small to life-threatening diseases effectively.
One of the significant discoveries in healthcare is early diagnostics and even curing diseases with the use of nuclear medicine applications. Also known as nucleology, these medicines offer benefits such as safe, painless, and cost-effective diagnostics and treatments. Healthcare establishments can use nuclear medicine to rapidly diagnose and cure ailments related to the body.
What is Nuclear Medicine?
Nuclear medicine is the use of a very small amount of radioactive tracers (radiopharmaceuticals) bonded with carrier molecules to assess the body’s organ and tissue dysfunctions in order to diagnose and treat diseases. The tracers are required to meet the guidelines set by Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Those approved radioactive tracers are identified as radiopharmaceuticals in healthcare nomenclature. The production of radiopharmaceuticals requires to be done under controlled and expert observation.
Nuclear medicine imaging diagnostics combines applications of physics, chemistry, math, medicine, and computer technology. The specialized medical imaging camera is used for observation of the movement of the nuclear tracer in the body once it is given to the patient. The use of nuclear medicine imaging allows visualization of the structure and functioning of tissues and organs.
The X-ray technology approach is to diagnose the body organ from the radiation generated from an outside source. While nuclear medicine imaging is about diagnosing from the inside out, a radioactive tracer along with imaging allows for identifying dysfunctionalities with the organs and tissues.
How Does Nuclear Medicine Work?
Nuclear medicine is given to patients through inhalation, orally, or intravenously. After passing the medicine internally, external detector cameras (gamma cameras) are used to record the radiation emitted by the radioactive tracers from inside the patient’s body.
Once the radiopharmaceutical enters the body, some time is allowed to pass, meanwhile, the tracer passes to the intended body organ which needs to be diagnosed or treated. During the waiting time, the patient is either asked to lie down on a treatment table or walk on the treadmill. An external specialized camera is placed over the patient’s body, which collects information about how the tracer is acting on targeted organs and tissues.
The visual information gained on camera about organs and tissue functioning helps medical professionals in the diagnosis. The radiopharmaceutical which is given to the patient passes out of their body within a few hours or days’ time. The time taken to pass out of the patient’s system depends on the type of nuclear medicine and treatment.
Common Types of Nuclear Medicine Imaging
The two common types of imaging in nuclear medicine include Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET). The PET procedure is applied for analyzing the metabolic or biochemical activity of body tissue cells. The PET procedure is a combination of nuclear medicine and biochemical analysis.
PET imaging technology is often used for patients that have cancer, heart condition, or brain-related complications. With PET the biochemical shifts happening within the body can be measured including metabolism.
Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) is another major nuclear medicine imaging modality. It allows physicians to perform the analysis of perfusion and functionality of particular tissues. With the specialized camera, the SPECT allows producing 3D visualization of the distribution of radiopharmaceuticals tracer (probe), which is injected into the bloodstream and taken up by targeted tissue.
SPECTS’ ability to provide detailed analysis of tissue physiology and functionality sets it apart from other medical imaging methods including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT Scan), and roentgenography, among others. The SPECT probe includes a detectable radioactive tracer along with an active biological ligand (molecule) that is specific to the tissue that is being targeted.
Growing Use of Nuclear Medicine
Nuclear medicine can be used for diagnostics and in some cases even for the treatment of diseases like cancer, heart diseases, neurological diseases, and infectious & inflammatory disorder. The successful treatment of benign and malignant thyroid disorders with the administering of radioiodine was the key reason behind the establishment of the nuclear medicine field in healthcare.
The preference for nuclear medicine is growing considerably in healthcare owing to better analysis of organ and tissue structures and functionality. The process of providing a patient with nuclear medicine is simple, as the probe (nuclear tracer) can be simply given through inhalation, orally, or injected into the bloodstream.
Some of the key providers of nuclear medicine in global healthcare are Eckert & Ziegler Group; Nordion Inc; GE Healthcare; Department of Atomic Energy; Bracco Imaging S.p.A; and Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO). Among the key factors that are propelling the demand for nuclear medicine across global healthcare is the growing prevalence of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
The targeted benefits facilitated by nuclear medicine help in preventing damage to other non-affected body parts while diagnostics and treatment procedures. The growing demand for less invasive and safe procedures for diagnosing and curing chronic disorders is propelling nuclear medicine demand across the global healthcare sector.