RadioGraphics
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ponto, J. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ponto, J. A.

RadioGraphics, Vol 18, 1395-1404, Copyright © 1998 by Radiological Society of North America

ARTICLES

The AAPM/RSNA physics tutorial for residents. Radiopharmaceuticals

JA Ponto
Department of Radiology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City 52242, USA.

Radiopharmaceuticals are essential to the performance of nuclear medicine procedures. These radioactive drugs consist of two components: a drug component for localization in a specific tissue or organ and a radioactive component for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. The majority of radiopharmaceuticals are used for diagnostic imaging procedures. The radioisotopes used for radiopharmaceuticals are produced in a number of ways: as by-products of fission, by means of neutron activation, by cyclotrons, and by generators. These methods produce isotopes with both desirable and undesirable properties. Approximately 80% of all nuclear medicine procedures performed in the United States use radiopharmaceuticals labeled with technetium-99m. The chemical properties of technetium allow relatively simple preparation of Tc-99m compounds by using reagent kits. Quality control testing of radiopharmaceuticals is routinely performed to ensure compliance with various purity standards such as assay for radioactivity, radionuclidic purity, chemical purity, radiochemical purity, pharmaceutical purity, and biologic purity.




HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
RADIOGRAPHICS RADIOLOGY RSNA JOURNALS ONLINE
Copyright © 1998 by the Radiological Society of North America.