Imaging in inflammatory disorders and infection

Question 1

what does gamma radiation occur from?

Answer 1

radioactive decay of unstable isotopes

Question 2

what type of energy do gamma rays produce?

Answer 2

high energy, high frequency

Question 3

what are radiopharmaceuticals composed of?

Answer 3

radioactive element

phamaceutical element

Question 4

what does the pharmaceutical element do?

Answer 4

determines which part of the body the agent travels to

Question 5

what are some properties of an ideal isotope?

Answer 5

half life similar to length of examination
gamma emitter as opposed to alpha or beta
energy of gamma rays should be 50-300 keV
radionuclide should be readily available at the hospital site
easily bound to pharmaceutical component
radiopharmaceutical should be simple to prepare
radiopharmaceutical should be eliminated in a similar half-time to duration of examination

Question 6

what is the half life of 99m technium?

Answer 6

6 and a half hours

Question 7

what is used to capture an image of a patient that has been introduced to a radipharmaceutical?

Answer 7

gamma camera

Question 8

what can influence image quality of a gamma camera?

Answer 8

radiation dose
collimator
metal objects
proximity of area of interest to the camera

Question 9

are bone scans common?

Answer 9

yes

Question 10

how would you be able to tell if a patient is of a younger age due to a bone scan?

Answer 10

growth plates are still visible

Question 11

what investigation would you use to assess kidney function and drainage?

Answer 11

radionucleotide renogram

Question 12

what are some features of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)?

Answer 12

CT version of nuclear medicine
gamma cameras rotate around area of interest
routinely used for brain and cardiac studies
can be applied to any site of interest in other studies

Question 13

what 2 stages are patients investigated at during a myocardial perfusion SPECT?

Answer 13

rest

pharmocological stress

Question 14

what are some features of positron emission tomography?

Answer 14

molecular imaging
uses radionuclides that decay by positron emission (proton –> neutron and positron)
these can be used to image biologically interesting processes
can be used for absolute quantitation but requires arterial sampling
all scanners not PET CT

Question 15

what is the most common radiopharmaceutical used for PET investigtions?

Answer 15

18F-fluorodeoxy glucose

Question 16

what is the main reason that a PET scan would be undertaken?

Answer 16

cancer investigations

Question 17

what is the main risk to patients who are undergoing investigations which involve radioactivity?

Answer 17

main risk is ionising radiation.