A Balanced Look at the Pros and Cons of Nuclear Medicine

by Naveed Iqbal SEO SEO Expert

If you think that nuclear energy is only good for firing up our power plants, as well as for fueling aircraft carriers and submarines, well think again, because it’s also very useful in the health care sector! Yes, even in today’s high-tech times, many patients are still unaware or are uninformed about the benefits of nuclear medicine. Often times, it may even frighten patients because it may sound like a threatening medical jargon. But then again, let’s take a balanced look at the pros, as well as the perceived cons, of nuclear medicine.

Just What is Nuclear Medicine?

Okay, so let’s with defining what nuclear medicine is all about. According to medical experts, it refers to a multi-disciplinary branch of medicine, but is most closely related to radiology and diagnostic, or medical imaging.

 

Radiology and medical imaging scans and treatments involve the use of small, safe amounts of radioactive material for the proper diagnosis and determination of the severity and extent of health conditions and diseases.

 

Among the many health conditions that nuclear medicine can determine and diagnose include certain cancers, heart diseases, gastrointestinal, endocrine and neurological disorders. There are basically two main types of medical imaging, and these are therapeutic and diagnostic.

 

When is Nuclear Medicine Used?

Diagnostic nuclear medicine deals with PET, or positron emission tomography scans and SPECT, or single photon emission tomography. In many instances, these tests are often combined with CT, or computed tomography, in order to create a scan that’s more precise and accurate.

 

The way these diagnostic procedures work is that a relatively small amount of radioactive material called a radiotracer is ingested, injected or swallowed (or even inhaled as a gas), and eventually the radiotracer accumulates in the body part or organ that’s being evaluated or examined.

 

On the other hand, therapeutic nuclear medicine procedures include radioactive iodine (I-131) therapy, and radio-immunotherapy. Radio-immunotherapy combines radiation therapy with the targeting ability of immunotherapy.

 

Immunotherapy also mimics cellular activity in the body’s immune system, which allows the radiation to have the ability to target the affected organs or areas more precisely. Therapeutic nuclear medicine is generally used for severe types of diseases and cancers which affect the thyroid gland.

 

The Risks of Nuclear Medicine

Now, let’s talk about the potential risks of nuclear medicine. While these types of tests do expose patients to relatively small amounts of radiation, these can still be dangerous as the material is essentially radioactive. However, the potential benefits of using the small amount of radioactive materials typically far outweigh the potential consequences.

 

In fact, the amount of radiation that a patient is exposed to is quite similar to those of the other diagnostic imaging scans, and even in a patient’s day to day life they are always exposed to certain small amounts of radiation.

 

But then again, health experts advise that women should always tell their doctor if they are pregnant, or breastfeeding, so that their health care practitioner can determine whether or not a certain nuclear medicine scan or test is safe for the baby.

 

Is Nuclear Medicine Truly Beneficial?

 

So, is nuclear medicine truly beneficial? Well, if you’re looking for accuracy, then I’m sure you’ll be happy with getting a radiology scan or test, because this is the best advantage of this branch of medicine.

 

This accuracy has actually made a lot of complex medical procedures much simpler, and it also allows for more in-depth examination and analysis. The very precise procedures also do not leave any stone unturned, especially when it comes to treatments.

For a truly detailed diagnosis, traditionally patients had to undergo quite difficult surgeries and procedures. But, with nuclear medicine, the complexities of traditional procedures and surgeries can now be eliminated, or reduced.

 

The various nuclear medicine tests also provide functional and anatomic information which is generally unattainable in other medical procedures. Often times, these tests provide doctors and other health care staff with the most useful and the most precise information to help them determine the best course of treatment.

 

For example, PET scabs can determine whether tumors are benign or malignant, and thee can also prevent a patient from getting a more dangerous, or more expensive surgical procedure.

 

The various nuclear medicine tests and procedures also have the ability to detect diseases and health conditions in their earliest stages, and sometimes even before the diseases manifest their initial symptoms.

 

But, before we end things, I’d also like to stress that vaccines for COVID-19 and other pandemic-causing viruses that spread form animals to humans can also be developed using irradiation techniques.

Take for example the Ebola virus, where nuclear medicine techniques were utilized for developing a vaccine. Nuclear-derived techniques and procedures can also treat hereditary and genetic diseases in human beings.

Like, PCR or polymerase chain reaction, can help diagnose diseases such as sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis and different types of cancers. And, speaking of cancer, radiotherapy is used to eliminate cancer-causing cells while keeping healthy cells intact.

And, have you received a routine stress test? Well, your cardiologist may now even order a nuclear stress test, especially if you’ve experienced symptoms like shortness of breath or chest pain with no obvious cause. This test would be highly effective at determining coronary artery disease, which usually develops when plaque or cholesterol builds up and blocks the supply of oxygen, blood and nutrients to the heart.

In summary, nuclear science and technology have played a very big role in improving human health and wellness. This relationship actually had a long and colorful history, which dates back to the discovery of X-ray imaging in the late 1800s.

Today, nuclear medicine techniques and procedures are even more diverse, and can effectively address even more pressing health concerns and issues, from treating diseases and infections to simply keeping us healthy.

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Created on Jun 25th 2022 04:00. Viewed 207 times.

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