Lecture 4 - Contrast Media

Question 1

What colour do positive (i.e.: barium & iodine) contrasts and negative contrasts (e.g.: water, air CO2) show on a scan?

Answer 1

Positive = White
Negative = Black/Dark

Question 2

Why is it important that a patients kidneys are in good working order before giving a contrast media?

Answer 2

95% of excretion of contrasts occur through glomerular filtration - therefore kidneys must be working.

Question 3

What is nuclear medicine? (Scintigraphy) - Give one example.

Answer 3

• Nuclear medicine is when we inject radio-pharmaceuticals into the body that emit gamma ray and provide functional information we can relate to anatomy.
• Example = PET scan

Question 4

Explain how PET scans work.

Answer 4

• Give radio-nucleotides that emit high energy gamma rays
• PET camera detects these rays
• Hot spots are areas of high glucose metabolism

Question 5

Give an example of where PET scans are used.

Answer 5

In oncology - to detect tumour reoccurrence, assessment of treatment etc.