Transcript King Abdul-Aziz University Diagnostic Radiology Department

Introduction to Nuclear Medicine
What is Nuclear medicine?
Nuclear Medicine is a medical imaging technique that uses radioactive
material (known as radiopharmaceuticals ,radiotracer and
radionuclide)and a camera (known as a gamma camera) to acquire
images of the body.
Physicians need this imaging technique procedures to visualize the
structure and function of an organ, tissue, bone or system within the
body.
What are the Radiotracers?
Radioactive tracers are made up of carrier molecules that are
bonded tightly to a radioactive atom. These carrier molecules
vary greatly depending on the purpose of the scan.
Radiopharmaceuticals administration:
injected intravenously
inhaled as a gas
ingested as a liquid
Procedures of Nuclear medicine?
Nuclear medicine procedures may be :
diagnostic studies, which are tests of body function.
therapeutic procedures in which the radiation is used
to treat disease.
NM Studies:
Heart studies , detection of lung abnormalities, bone evaluation ,
thyroid scan , brain investigations , renal studies ,GI study and
cancer screening.
FUNCTION VS ANATOMY
The emphasis of nuclear medicine studies is more
on function than anatomical structure.
Nuclear medicine Machine:
Main Components :
1- Gamma camera
4
2- Table
3- Patient positioning monitors
4-Hand control
3
2
1
1
1- Gamma Camera
Gamma camera is a devise that detects the gamma ray
emerging from the body of the patient.
main parts are:
Collimator , Scintillation crystal ,Photomultiplier tubes , and
computer
Collimators
Collimators is a honeycomb
of a cylindrical tubes in a
lead shielding .
Therefore designed for
different photon energies
and resolutions (high , low,
mid).
absorbing all the gamma
rays outside of a narrow
angle of acceptance.
Scintillation crystal
The gamma camera has a large
crystal (called a scintillation
crystal NaI(Tl)).
These crystals detect the
emitted radiation signal and
convert that signal into faint
light.
Photomultiplier tube
Detect the photo light coming
from the scintillation then
converted into electrons.
Electrons strike to the dynode
inside the tube that produce
more and more
electrons(amplification).
Computer
dynode
Single
photon
Thousands
of
electrons
Summary How it works?
2- TABLE( Patient Bed)&Accessories
Patient bed raises to go between the gamma camera.
Patent bed designed for the patient to be in the feet –in
orientation during all studies except brain and breast
imaging.
Touch
pads
Head end
Pallet
pad
Arm support
Foot end
Patient bed
ruler
Head
bad
Body wrap
PATIENT BED ACCESSORY
3- Patient positioning monitors
PPM is mounted on an arm extending from the top , The
arm can be moved to any sides.
PPM
arm
PPM
Hand
control
4- Hand control
Emergency stop
Hand control
storage
Hand control
Function
Touch pads
Each collimator has a touch pad that halts all system
motion when contact to patient is made
Pallet pad
Provides patients comfort during the scan
Body wrap
Used to immobilize the patients arm or legs during the
scans.
Patient bed
ruler
Runs along both sides of patient table ,used to determine
the scan length
armrest
Supports the patient’s head and arms during scan
Hand control
Moving the system , it also operates the patient bed
up/down/in or out motion ,as well as starting and
stopping the scan
PPM
Display patient positioning ,collimator changing and
display scan progress
Operating Area
Display and
analysis
monitor
Scan
monitor
images
Bone
scan
thyroid
scan
renal
scan
Combining SPECT with CT scan
• SPECT/CT is a sophisticated scanner which can combine
the functional imaging capabilities of Single Photon
Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT )with the precise
anatomical overlay of CT images, all performed in the one
imaging session.
hot lap..?
This area is used to prepare the radiopharmaceuticals that are
administered to patients for nuclear medicine studies.
Radiation Syringe shields
use for reduce hand exposure