Nuclear Medicine

Question 1

What does RNI stand for

Answer 1

Radionuclide Imaging

Question 2

What is NM examinations used for?

Answer 2

To document the function and structure in contrast to conventional radiology
It creates an image based upon anatomy and morophology

Question 3

State 3 NM examinations

Answer 3

• Cardiac
• Liver
• Kidneys

Question 4

Describe the process of NM Imaging

Answer 4

• When a small amount of chemical substance is injected into the body with a short lived radioactive tracer
• Depending on the chemical substance used, the radiopharmaceutical concentrates in the part of the body being investigated and gives of gamma rays
• A gamma camera then detects the source of the radiation to build a picture

Question 5

What is a radioactive tracer?

Answer 5

a substance used in nuclear medicine imaging that emits radiation

Question 6

State the components of the gamma camera

Answer 6

• Collimator
• Detector Crystal
• Photomultiplier Tube Array
• Data Analysis Computer

Question 7

How does a gamma ray photon interact with the detector and describe this interaction?

Answer 7

Interacts with the detector by the means of Photoelectric Effect or Compton Scattering
- This interaction causes the release of electrons which in turn interact with he crystal lattice to produce light, in a process known as scintillation

Question 8

Define Physical Half life

Answer 8

The time required for the activity of a given radioactive sample to decrease to half of it’s initial value due to the radioactive decay

Question 9

Define Biological Half Life

Answer 9

The period of time required to reduce the amount of radioactivity in an organ or the body to exactly one half of it’s original value due solely to biological elimination

Question 10

Define Effective Half Live

Answer 10

A given isotope is the time in which the quantity in the body will decrease to half as a result of radioactive decay and biological elimination