Department Of Nuclear Medicine

The Department of Nuclear Medicine is a science in which radioactive (radiation-emitting) substances are used for diagnosis and treatment in medicine. Radionuclides, often known as radiopharmaceuticals, are radioactive compounds (radioisotopes) utilized in medicine for this purpose. It is possible to administer radioactive chemicals subcutaneously, orally, via inhalation, intravenously, or directly into the necessary organ or tissue. Gamma cameras outside the body (scintigraphy) can identify and photograph tissues and organs where radioactive atoms delivered to the body are placed (or acquired by reaching the organs and tissues through the bloodstream and entering the cell). In addition to being used for imaging in diagnosis, radiopharmaceuticals that are specifically involved in some tissues are also used for treatment by administering high doses (e.g., use of iodine-131 in thyroid cancer).