43. NUCLEAR MEDICINE: BETA PLUS DECAY Flashcards
1
Q
- What is Beta Plus (β+) Decay characterised by?
A
- the production of positrons
2
Q
- What are Positron Emitters?
A
- they are the Radionuclides that undergo Beta Plus
Decay
3
Q
- In which situations do we use Positron Emitters?
A
WE USE THEM IN MEDICINE FOR:
- functional imaging
- with Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
4
Q
- Name one example of Beta Plus Decay?
A
- the decay of Nitrogen 13
- into Carbon 13
CARBON 13 HAS A HALF LIFE OF:
- 10 minutes
5
Q
- Does this image make sense?
A
- yes
6
Q
- What is Nitrogen-13?
A
- this is a proton rich Radionuclide
- it is produced in a Cyclotron
7
Q
- How is Nitrogen-13 (labelled as Ammonia) inserted into the patient’s body?
A
- it is injected intravenously into the body
8
Q
- What is Nitrogen-13 (labelled as Ammonia) used for in medicine?
A
- CARDIAC IMAGING
- for diagnosis of Coronary Artery Disease
- diagnosis of Myocardial Infraction - LIVER IMAGING
- BRAIN IMAGING
9
Q
- What happens when Fluorine-18 undergoes Beta decay?
A
- it decays into Oxygen-18
- this has a half life of 110 minutes
- this is a very important practical example
10
Q
- What is Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)?
A
- this a kind of Radionuclide of Fluorine-18
- it is a sugar compound
11
Q
- What do we use FDG (labelled as Fluorine-18) for?
A
- we use it in PET functional imaging
- it is injected intravenously into a patient
12
Q
- What helps the FDG PET scan to detect abnormalities in the body?
A
- increased glucose metabolism
13
Q
- What can FDG PET scans detect?
A
- Malignant Diseases
- Distinguish Benign from Malignant Diseases
- Staging of Malignant Diseases
- Monitoring the response to therapy of Malignant
Diseases