Inorganics in Nuclear Medicine

Abstract

More than 130 radionuclides are being used worldwide for therapeutic, diagnostic, and preventative purposes in the medical field. Using radionuclides, different organs can be imaged, and malfunction revealed. The most commonly used radionuclide in diagnosis by SPECT is technetium-99m (99m Tc), with some 40 million procedures yearly, almost 80% of all nuclear medicine procedures in the world. The Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is sophisticated and more precise technique using isotopes, like 18 F produced in a cyclotron. The synthesis and use of organic molecules and their labeling with radionuclides are currently dominating in new radiopharmaceutical development. On the other hand inorganics (60 Co, 131 I and 192 Ir) are still playing unique role in nuclear medicine. In this article more commonly used radionuclides and their inorganic forms in nuclear medicine are described.