Nuclear medicine is a branch of medicine that provides safe, painless and inexpensive imaging of any part of the body and treatment of diseases. Unlike diagnostic radiology, which provides only anatomical information, nuclear medicine methods provide information about the structure and function of any organ. Nuclear medicine methods make it possible to diagnose, treat and monitor severe conditions. Generally, diseases can be detected by nuclear medicine methods in the early stages of the disease before they become detectable by other radiological methods and before clinical symptoms develop. This way, the disease can be treated more successfully before progressing. Nuclear imaging uses very small amounts of radioactive material and radiopharmaceuticals. Pharmaceuticals are substances that, when administered into the body, bind specifically to an organ, bone or tissue. When it binds with a radioactive substance, it is called a radiopharmaceutical, and it goes and binds to the organ we want to be imaged and emits gamma rays thanks to the accompanying radioactivity, allowing that organ to be imaged with gamma or PET cameras. These cameras are linked to computers, which provide data and information about the part of the body being imaged. The radiation dose received by the body with nuclear medicine applications is approximately at the same levels as radiological X-ray diagnostic methods. Techniques commonly used in nuclear medicine can be listed as follows. Planar image – provides information about the two-dimensional appearance and function of the organ. SPECT- provides a three-dimensional image of the organ and information about its function. PET provides three-dimensional imaging while providing information about the function of a specific organ, tumour or any active metabolic site.
Although nuclear medicine is generally used for diagnostic purposes, it is essential in treating some diseases.
