History and General Fields of Application of Nuclear Medicine
Nuclear medicine, in its simplest definition, is the use of radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Currently, in our country, nuclear medicine departments serving at universities, state and social security hospitals in major provinces, and some private centers perform functional imaging for nearly every organ system.
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Nuclear medicine, in its simplest definition, is the use of radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Currently, in our country, nuclear medicine departments serving at universities, state and social security hospitals in major provinces, and some private centers perform functional imaging for diseases of nearly every organ system. The diagnostic tests performed at these centers are scintigraphic imaging of the thyroid, bone, heart, kidneys and many other organs and diseases, and treatment is also provided for some tumors and inflammatory diseases, especially thyroid diseases.
The history of nuclear medicine goes back to the early 1800s, when the English chemist John Dalton proposed his atomic theory, to 1895, when the German Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered X-rays, and to 1928, when Ernest Lawrence of America built the cyclotron. The most important step in the development of nuclear medicine was the discovery of artificial radioactivity by Marie Curie in 1934. However, many historians identify the true beginning of nuclear medicine with the 1940s, when radioactive iodine began to be used in the treatment of toxic goiter (toxic nodular goiter). Technetium, the radioactive substance most commonly used in nuclear medicine imaging today, was artificially produced in 1937.
Commonly Used Terminological Concepts in Nuclear Medicine
Scintigraphy: This is the name given to the procedure performed in nuclear medicine,
Radiopharmaceutical: The substances in nuclear medicine that consist of a very small amount of radioactivity, which can be given to patients by various routes (injection or orally), and the chemical drugs attached to it are called radiopharmaceuticals.
Planar Method: When the films taken in nuclear medicine are captured in a single plane and in 2 directions, it is called the 'planar method'.
SPECT: Images are acquired over a 180 or 360 degree angle around the organ to be imaged. After acquisition, the raw images are processed with the aid of a computer. In this method, the imaged organs are examined in 3 dimensions.
PET: The radioactivity used here consists of positron-emitting rays. Other aspects are similar to SPECT.
Fields of Use of Nuclear Medicine
- Neurological applications
- Endocrinological applications
- Oncological applications
- Treatment of pain from cancerous bones
- Orthopedic applications
- Bone infections
- Kidney applications
- Cardiac applications
- Follow-up of patients after kidney transplantation
- Lung applications
- Diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the lungs)
Other Applications
- Goiter diseases
- Various esophageal and stomach diseases
- Gallbladder diseases
- Intestinal bleeding
- Suspected occult infection
- Examination of lymphatic pathways
- Examination of tear drainage pathways
- Examination of salivary gland function
- Imaging of various tumors with different radiopharmaceuticals
- Investigation of hidden infections in the body
Nuclear medicine, in its simplest definition, is the use of radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Currently, in our country, nuclear medicine departments serving at universities, state and social security hospitals in major provinces, and some private centers perform functional imaging for diseases of nearly every organ system. The diagnostic tests performed at these centers are scintigraphic imaging of the thyroid, bone, heart, kidneys and many other organs and diseases, and treatment is also provided for some tumors and inflammatory diseases, especially thyroid diseases.
The history of nuclear medicine goes back to the early 1800s, when the English chemist John Dalton proposed his atomic theory, to 1895, when the German Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered X-rays, and to 1928, when Ernest Lawrence of America built the cyclotron. The most important step in the development of nuclear medicine was the discovery of artificial radioactivity by Marie Curie in 1934. However, many historians identify the true beginning of nuclear medicine with the 1940s, when radioactive iodine began to be used in the treatment of toxic goiter (toxic nodular goiter). Technetium, the radioactive substance most commonly used in nuclear medicine imaging today, was artificially produced in 1937.
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Web and Medical Editorial BoardReviewed by a specialist
Assoc. Prof. Dr. S. Hilmi AksoyInterventional RadiologyReview date: 02 November 2026Contact
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