What is a common application for Tc-99m in nuclear medicine?

What is a common application for Tc-99m in nuclear medicine?

• A. Identifying infections in bones
• B. Calculating ejection fraction of the heart
• C. Assessing blood flow in kidneys
• D. Visualizing cerebral tumors

Answer: (C)

Tc-99m is widely used in nuclear medicine due to its favorable physical and chemical properties, making it an ideal radiotracer for a variety of applications. One of the primary applications is assessing blood flow in the kidneys. When employing Tc-99m for renal imaging, the radiopharmaceutical is selectively taken up by the renal tissue, allowing for the evaluation of renal perfusion and function. This can help identify conditions such as renal artery stenosis, acute kidney injury, or overall kidney function. The imaging can effectively show how well blood is being supplied to the kidneys and how well the kidneys are functioning as a whole. The other applications listed, such as identifying infections in bones, calculating ejection fraction of the heart, and visualizing cerebral tumors, also utilize Tc-99m but are associated with different specific isotopes or compounds for optimized imaging. For instance, bone scans often use Tc-99m-labeled methylene diphosphonate, while cardiac evaluation typically involves different agents for assessing myocardial perfusion.

Tc-99m is widely used in nuclear medicine due to its favorable physical and chemical properties, making it an ideal radiotracer for a variety of applications. One of the primary applications is assessing blood flow in the kidneys.

When employing Tc-99m for renal imaging, the radiopharmaceutical is selectively taken up by the renal tissue, allowing for the evaluation of renal perfusion and function. This can help identify conditions such as renal artery stenosis, acute kidney injury, or overall kidney function. The imaging can effectively show how well blood is being supplied to the kidneys and how well the kidneys are functioning as a whole.

The other applications listed, such as identifying infections in bones, calculating ejection fraction of the heart, and visualizing cerebral tumors, also utilize Tc-99m but are associated with different specific isotopes or compounds for optimized imaging. For instance, bone scans often use Tc-99m-labeled methylene diphosphonate, while cardiac evaluation typically involves different agents for assessing myocardial perfusion.