Radiopharmaceutics Flashcards
1
Q
What is a nuclear medicine
A
- X-rays show anatomy, but a poor indicator of function
- Nuclear Medicine scans give poor anatomical detail but do show function
- Radiopharmaceuticals are a combination of
- Useful Molecule + Radioactive isotope
2
Q
Gamma camera
A
- Gamma photons are emitted by the patient due to medicine/diagnostic agent we injected- this hits the crystal of the camera causing the crystal to scintillate which is picked up by detectors
- Colinator- these are small bits of lead which only allow gamma photons at a certain angle to hit the crystal allowing more accurate imaging (due to photons being given off in random direction)
3
Q
Low radiation dosage to patients
A
- Short physical half-life
- Short biological half-life
- Nature of radioactive decay
4
Q
Philosophy of radiation protection
A
- All exposures shall be justified
- Benefit gained outweighs risk involved
- All exposures shall be kept as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP)
- We are exposed to radiation at all times- Cosmic radiation, radon gas, buildings, food stuffs
5
Q
Radiation measurement unit
A
- A measure of radiation energy in tissue
- Sievert (Sv)
- Use 1/1000 (milliSievert- mSv)
- Or 1/1,000,000 (Micro Sievert- uSv)
- A measure of radiation within the tissue
- Natural radiations
- Average for UK 2.5 mSv per year
6
Q
Radon- Cornwall
A
7
Q
Airline staff
A
8
Q
Radiation Effects
A
- Main concern is carcinogenesis
- Assume a risk, whatever the dose
- Radiation risk
- Taking all factors into account risk of 1 in 15,000 for 2mSv
9
Q
Radiation effects
A
- Main concern is carcinogenesis
- Assume a risk, whatever the dose
- Radiation risk
- Taking all factors into account, risk of 1 in 15,000 for 2 mSv
10
Q
Compare with other risks
A
- Smoking 10 a day- 1 in 200
- Sea-fishing- 1 in 500
- Mining- 1 in 7,000
- Home accidents- 1 in 10,000
- Road accidents- 1 in 10,000
11
Q
Limiting Radiation Exposure
A
- Time- keep to a minimum
- Distance
- Shielding- make sure you use right shield
- SOPs must incorporate
- Staff Training
- Monitoring
- Feedback
12
Q
Inverse Square Rule
A
- Distance is very important- it follows a sqaure root rule
13
Q
Units
A
- Becquerel- Rate of disintegration (1 d.p.s)
- Says nothing about radiation dose to patients or workers
- Curie in the US- 1 MilliCurie= 37 MBq
- Gray (Gy)- S.I unit of absorbed dose
- 1 joule of energy absorbed per Kg tissue
- Sievert (Sv)- dose equivalent
- Sievert = gray x quality factor (QF)
- For Beta and Gamma emitters, QF =1
14
Q
Types of radioactive decay
A
- Alpha (a)
- Beta (B)
- Gamma (G)
15
Q
Mechanisms of decay
a-particles
A
- He nucleus- charge +2
- Comparatively large- collide with tissue, give up their energy, cause ion pair (5000 cm-1)
- Considerable damage in small area
- Range in tissue of a few mm
- Can easily be shielded
- NO role in diagnostic agents, but have potential for therapeutic use
16
Q
B- particles
A
- Can have negative or positive charge
- Smaller than a-particles- less interaction with tissue (50 ion pairs cm-1)
- Less damage and greater range in tissue
- Range can be up to several cm- depends on energy Emax and Emean
- Valuable for therapy, but not diagnosis
17
Q
B+ particles
A
- Known as positrons- antimatter
- Immediately after emission from nucleus, they interact with B- particle
- Annihilation reaction- matter is converted into energy
- B- + B+ => 2 gamma
- Energy of each gamma = 511 keV, emitted at 180o to each other
- Valuable in diagnostic procedures
18
Q
Gamma rays
A
- Electromagnetic radiation- not particles
- Less interaction with tissue- hence why good in diagnosis, cause less damage, have greater range in tissue
- Energy of emitted gamma rays constant for a given radionuclide
- Valuable for diagnostic use, especially when radiation can be detected externally