The Use of Isotopes in Medicine Essay
The Use of Isotopes in Medicine Essay
These are the radioactive and stable isotopes. Bodamer and Halliday (2001, p. 444) define radioactive isotopes as those whose nucleus is unstable. Because of this, radioactive isotopes have a tendency for spontaneous decomposition, a reaction which involves the release of radiation. The Use of Isotopes in Medicine Essay.During the decomposition of a radioactive isotope, a helium nucleus is released, a process which leads to the stabilization of the isotope. On the other hand, a stable isotope does not have a tendency for spontaneous decomposition and as a result, these isotopes resist various forms of chemical alterations. Radioactive have been used widely used in medicine as agents of diagnostic processes. This essay gives a critical analysis ad discussion of the various uses or applications of isotopes in the field of medicine. Many chemical elements contain isotopes. Radioisotopes are often products of artificial combination of protons and neutrons. Artificial production of radioisotopes often employs protons and neutrons which do not exist in nature (Ruth, 2009, p. 536). There are a total of 1800 radioisotopes including those which arise from the decay of thorium and uranium in their primordial states. There are a variety of ways in which radioisotopes can be produced or manufactured artificially. These include neutron activation which is the commonest way of producing radioisotopes. This is done within a nuclear reactor. In addition, some radioisotopes are produced within a cyclotron in which deficiency of neutrons within a nucleus is achieved through artificial introduction of protons (Bodamer and Halliday (2001, p. 445). The artificial manufacture of radioisotopes is aimed at meeting their application in medicine. The radioisotopes used in medicine are known as radiopharmaceuticals. The following section describes three major applications of radioisotopes in medicines with the justification on why specific radioisotopes are used in the management of various medical processes. The disadvantages associate with the use of isotopes is also provided later in the essay. According to Ruth (2009, p. 537), isotopes are used in nuclear medicine to provide diagnostic information which is used by physicians to diagnose various medical conditions. The Use of Isotopes in Medicine Essay. This is achieved through the imaging of organs such as bones, thyroid gland, liver and heart to determine their functioning. Prvulovich and Bomanji (1998, p. 1140) demonstrates 90% of the application of isotopes in medicine if for diagnostic procedures. Technetium-99 is the most commonly used radioisotope for medical diagnosis. Ramamoorthy and Binukumar (2010, p. 46) say that technetium-99 is used widely as a radioactive tracer. This isotope is commonly used because it is detectable within the body through the use of specialized medical equipment such as gamma cameras. Technetium-99 is releases gamma rays and this explains why gamma cameras are able to detect it within the body. More importantly, technetium-99 is relatively safer in diagnosis as compared to other isotopes. This is due to the fact that it its physical and biological half-life is short. As a result, it decays within 24 hours of exposure to the body. This provides sufficient time for the quick detection of chemical equipment while it keeps the exposure of the patient to the radiation as low as possible (Bodamer and Halliday (2001, p. 446). This demonstrates why this isotope is commonly applied in medical diagnosis. Prvulovich and Bomanji (1998, p. 1143) explain that isotopes are also commonly used in therapy. The Use of Isotopes in Medicine Essay.
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The Use of Radioisotopes in Medicine
Radioisotopes are artificially made, unstable elements that release radiation as they break down. Radioisotopes in medicine, also called nuclear medicine, is a form of medicine that uses radiation to get information on the function of organs. It is a fairly new form of medicine that was developed in the 1950s when radiation was used to diagnose and treat thyroid disease. The use of nuclear medicine has become a regular procedure and is important in diagnosing and treating many different diseases. There are many different radioisotopes used in medicine to diagnose and treat different diseases. Radiotherapy is an important part of Radioisotope medicine and is used to treat disease through radiation. Certain procedures go into the making and disposing of radiopharmaceuticals because of the dangers in radioisotopes.
How Radioisotopes in Medicine Are Used For Diagnosis
Radioisotopes that break down quickly are combined with chemical compounds so that specific parts of the body can be studied closely to reveal any symptoms of a disease. The Use of Isotopes in Medicine Essay. This combination of radioisotopes and chemical compounds (tracers) can be taken through injection, inhalation, or orally. Diagnoses are made by looking at the position and concentration of the isotope used. If the isotope is partly taken up or taken up in excess by the organ, there is an organ malfunction as well as an unusual pattern or rate of the isotopes movement over a period. One technique is to use a gamma camera, that can see organs from multiple angles. A gamma camera will pick up single photons and will create an image based on the points in which the radiation is emitted. The image is then enhanced by a computer so that doctors can study it an look for any abnormalities.
Another more sophisticated technique is Positron Emission Tomography or PET. PET uses a positron-emitting radionuclide into the body, most commonly through injection. The radionuclide will then collect in the large tissue an…
It was 1939 was when the use of radioisotope in medical clinics began. This radioisotope was Iodine-131 and it was used in thyroid investigations. Iodine-131 was also…
There is a wide variety of medical imaging that uses radioisotopes. A radioisotope gastric-emptying scan, or gastric scintigraphy, is used to diagnose Gastroparesis. This involves a patient eating a tiny amount of radioisotope that has been placed in food and then being put under a scanner machine (Gastroparesis Overview: Causes and Symptoms). Prostascint is a type of fusion imaging procedure that can detect prostate cancer cells. This procedure uses the radioisotope Indium-111 which has the ability to target distinctively the prostate membrane antigen, which allows the imaging to locate the prostate cancer cells (Prostate Cancer; Fusion imaging helps target greater doses of radiation to prostate cancer cells). Nuclear scans are used to detect an array of abnormalities within the bones, brain, kidneys, thyroid, and many more organs. Nuclear scans can also observe the digestive process to look for gastrointestinal bleeding or determine the length of time it takes for the stomach to empty. This procedure involves a radioisotope, usually either technetium or thallium, being injected into a vein before the imaging process begins (Diagnostic Imaging). A Positron-emission tomography is similar to nuclear scanning but also uses biochemical analysis as it has the ability to image body processes. The Use of Isotopes in Medicine Essay. Similar to nuclear scanning, a small and harmless amount of radioisotopes is
It was 1939 was when the use of radioisotope in medical clinics began. This radioisotope was Iodine-131 and it was used in thyroid investigations. Iodine-131 was also later used for treating hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer. The Use of Isotopes in Medicine Essay.After the success of using this radioisotope, other radioactive isotopes became accessible (Keevil).
Technetium-99m was used in an imaging demonstration in 1964. As a result of its favorable physical and chemical properties, it quickly became one of the most used radioisotopes for nuclear medical procedures (Keevil). This radioisotope can be found in nuclear medicine procedures that involve diagnostics of the heart, kidneys, lungs, liver, spleen, bones, and blood flow (GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy).
Radioisotopes have helped create advanced imaging techniques. Beforehand, X rays could only provide so much information such as broken bones, abnormal growths, and locating foreign objects in the body. Now it is possible to obtain much more information from medical imaging. Not only can this advanced imaging give imaging of tiny structures in the body, but it can also provide details such as cancerous cells and damaged heart tissue from a heart…
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