Radionuclide (isotope) scanning
A radionuclide scan (radioisotope scan) is an imaging technique used to visualise parts of the body by injecting a small dose of a radioactive chemical into the body. A radionuclide is a chemical that gives off gamma rays, which are similar to X-rays. A very small amount of radionuclide is either injected into the vein of a patient, breathed in as a gas or swallowed as a liquid. Radionuclides come in different types depending on the tissues doctors want to examine. For example, radioactive iodine is absorbed by the tissues of the thyroid gland, so it can be scanned by a gamma camera. The more active cells absorb more of the isotope and therefore emit more gamma rays. A computer creates an image of the organ or tissues by converting different radioactivity levels into colours or shades of grey.
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