Medical Uses of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Radionuclides (M-122)

Course Director:

Neeta Pandit-Taskar, MD

Students will receive instruction in the fundamentals of radioactive isotopes and their diagnostic and therapeutic uses in clinical medicine. They will be expected to work under close supervision in the Nuclear Medicine Service, gaining practical experience in performing various diagnostic procedures with radioactive isotopes, i.e., thyroidal uptake; imaging studies of the brain, liver, and bone; tumor localization with an emphasis on positron emission tomography; and flow studies with radiopharmaceuticals. They will be taught how to handle hot samples and make dosimetric measurements and calculations. The physical and mathematical basis of the procedures will be stressed, and digital and analog methods of data display will be studied.

Clinical experience will include observing patients who are considered for isotope studies. Emphasis will be placed on the selection of the proper test for the particular patient with due consideration of other means of examination. Instruction in the interpretation of results will be given. An opportunity to compare the isotope data with other findings will be provided.