Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Medical applications of radio frequency (RF) energy, in the form of electromagnetic waves (radio waves) or electrical currents, have existed for over 125 years, [1] and now include diathermy, hyperthermy treatment of cancer, electrosurgery scalpels used to cut and cauterize in operations, and radiofrequency ablation. [2]
Again, a key feature of using radioactivity in life science applications is that it is a quantitative technique, so PET/SPECT not only reveals where a radiolabelled molecule is but how much is there. Radiobiology (also known as radiation biology) is a field of clinical and basic medical sciences that involves the study of the action of ...
Nuclear medicine (nuclear radiology, nucleology), [1] [2] is a medical specialty involving the application of radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Nuclear imaging is, in a sense, radiology done inside out , because it records radiation emitted from within the body rather than radiation that is transmitted through ...
Additionally, because radiation was found to exist in hot spring waters which were reputed for their curative powers, it was marketed as a wonder cure for all sorts of ailments in patent medicine and quack cures. It was believed by medical science that small doses of radiation would cause no harm and the harmful effects of large doses were ...
A medical isotope is an isotope used in medicine. The first uses of isotopes in medicine were in radiopharmaceuticals , and this is still the most common use. However more recently, separated stable isotopes have come into use.
The medical applications of nuclear technology are divided into diagnostics and radiation treatment. Imaging - The largest use of ionizing radiation in medicine is in medical radiography to make images of the inside of the human body using x-rays. This is the largest artificial source of radiation exposure for humans.
Radiopharmaceuticals, or medicinal radiocompounds, are a group of pharmaceutical drugs containing radioactive isotopes. Radiopharmaceuticals can be used as diagnostic and therapeutic agents. Radiopharmaceuticals emit radiation themselves, which is different from contrast media which absorb or alter external electromagnetism or ultrasound.
The primary advantage of alpha particle (α) emitters over other types of radioactive sources is their very high linear energy transfer (LET) and relative biological effectiveness (RBE). [5] Beta particle (β) emitters such as yttrium-90 can travel considerable distances beyond the immediate tissue before depositing their energy, while alpha ...