In nuclear medicine procedures, radioisotopes may be directly administered to a patient or may be combined with chemical labels to form radiopharmaceutical compounds. The radiopharmaceuticals are specially formulated to concentrate temporarily in a specific part of the body to be studied. The radiation signals emitted by the radionuclides are then converted into an image of the body part or organ. In contrast to other diagnostic imaging modalities, radiopharmaceuticals allow nuclear medicine to image, in real time, the extent of a disease-process in the body, based on the cellular function and physiology (blood flow, organ function, metabolic activity and biochemical activity), rather than relying on just physical changes in the tissue anatomy as revealed during CT scans. This diversity in application often enables nuclear medicine procedures to identify medical problems at an earlier stage than other diagnostic tests.
For more information about Positron's radiopharmaceutical offerings click here.
