What is technetium 99m used for?
Technetium-99m is used to image the skeleton and heart muscle in particular, but also for brain, thyroid, lungs, liver, spleen, kidney, gall bladder, bone marrow, salivary and lachrymal glands, heart blood pool, infection and numerous specialized medical studies.
What is the energy of technetium 99m?
about 140 keV
Technetium-99m is a widely used radioactive tracer isotope in Nuclear Medicine. It’s gamma ray energy of about 140 keV is convenient for detection. The fact that both its physical half-life and its biological half-life are very short leads to very fast clearing from the body after an imaging process.
How do I protect myself from technetium 99m?
General handling precautions for Technetium-99m:
- Designate area for handling 99Tc and clearly label all containers.
- Prohibit eating, drink.
- Wear disposable lab coat, gloves and wrist guards for secondary protection.
- Select gloves appropriate for chemicals handled.
What is technetium 99m methylene diphosphonate?
Technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate (MDP) is one of the most commonly used tracers for SS and its mechanism of action involves a complex interaction of bone repair and blood flow. SS targets the bony cortex, binding to the hydroxyapetite produced when the bone attempts to repair damage caused by metastases.
What are the risks of using technetium-99m to doctors and to patients?
Adverse Effects
Most commonly, technetium-99m causes rash, angioedema, fever, and anaphylaxis due to hypersensitivity reactions. Patients may also experience a transient increase in blood pressure, seizures, arrhythmias, and syncope.
What happens when technetium-99m enters the body?
Technetium-99 can pose a health risk when it enters the body. Once in the human body, Tc-99 concentrates in the thyroid gland and the gastrointestinal tract. However, the body constantly gets rid of Tc-99 in feces.
What happens when technetium 99m enters the body?
What type of radiation does technetium 99m emit?
gamma-ray emission
Technetium-99m has a photopeak of gamma-ray emission of 140.5 keV, making it a very minimal risk of toxicity. [3] The short six-hour half-life and rapid excretion from the body limit toxic effects and give enough time to perform its diagnostic imaging, all while limiting radiation exposure to the patient.
What are the dangers of technetium-99m?
Most commonly, technetium-99m causes rash, angioedema, fever, and anaphylaxis due to hypersensitivity reactions. Patients may also experience a transient increase in blood pressure, seizures, arrhythmias, and syncope. When used in abdominal imaging, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea may occur.
What are the side effects of technetium 99m?
Side Effects
- Blurred vision.
- chest pain or discomfort.
- dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness when getting up suddenly from a lying or sitting position.
- fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat.
- hives, itching, or redness.
- lightheadedness.
- no blood pressure or pulse.
- pounding or rapid pulse.
How does technetium 99m scan work?
Technetium-99m MDP
Tc-99m emits 140 keV gamma rays upon decay, and these gamma rays are detected by nuclear gamma cameras to allow localizing where the Tc-99m travels within the body. For imaging bone metabolism, the radionuclide is usually attached to medronic acid (methylene diphosphonate).
How safe is technetium-99m?
Technetium-99m has a photopeak of gamma-ray emission of 140.5 keV, making it a very minimal risk of toxicity. [3] The short six-hour half-life and rapid excretion from the body limit toxic effects and give enough time to perform its diagnostic imaging, all while limiting radiation exposure to the patient.
How long does it take for technetium-99m stay in the body?
Technetium-99m is a short-lived form of Tc-99 that is used as a medical diagnostic tool. It has a short half-life (6 hours) and does not remain in the body or the environment for long.
What are the risks of using technetium 99m to doctors and to patients?
Is technetium toxic to humans?
What are the pros and cons of using technetium-99m?
It gives high yields of 99Mo of very high specific activity. However, its main disadvantages are high costs and generation of large quantities of highly radioactive waste. Depending on the separation method several types of generators were developed.
Is technetium-99m toxic?
What happens when Technetium-99m enters the body?
What are the side effects of Technetium-99m?
Does technetium-99m have side effects?
How much does technetium 99m cost?
Price quotes are provided for individual Tc-99m pertechnetate doses and for bulk Tc-99m sodium pertechnetate. Most of the prices fall in the range from $0.28 to $0.45 per mCi, but two prices were much higher, about $0.90 per mCi.
What are the side effects of technetium-99m?
What are the disadvantages of technetium-99m?
Where can technetium be found?
Source: Technetium has been found naturally occurring in tiny quantities in uranium ore. The isotope technetium-99 is produced from the waste products of uranium nuclear fuel.
Why is technetium-99m made in hospitals?
Technetium-99m is the most widely used radioisotope in nuclear diagnostic imaging. Its short half-life, ease of incorporation into a variety of carrier molecules, low energy gamma emission, and rapid excretion make it ideal for obtaining images of the major internal organs and skeleton of the human body.