Nuclear Medicine
Diagnostic Techniques
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
Positron emission tomography (PET) is one of the nuclear medicine techniques available for diagnosis. Whilst X-rays provide information on the structure of the body, PET shows the chemical function of a particular organism. PET involves the injection of FDG (a glucose-based radionuclide) from a shielded syringe into the patient. As the FDG travels through the patient's body it emits gamma radiation which is detected by a gamma camera, from which the chemical activity within cells and organs can be seen. Any abnormal chemical activity may be a sign that tumours are present. PET scans are frequently used to detect cancerous tumours and diseases of the brain and coronary arteries.
Applications for Wolfmet tungsten shielding in PET include:
- PET syringe shields
- Tungsten vial shields
- Tungsten FDG transport containers
- Shielding for gamma cameras
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Technetium generators
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy destroys cancer by directing beams of radiation directly onto the tumour. The beams of radiation require a very fine focus to avoid harming the surrounding healthy tissue. This focus is achieved by using a multi-leaf collimator , consisting of two rows of very thin tungsten alloy plates, which can be configured to exactly match the dimensions of the tumour.
Brachytherapy
When it is difficult to access the diseased cells directly, it is possible to use an alternative type of radiotherapy, known as afterloading (a version of brachytherapy). This technique consists of implanting a radioactive seed inside the patient's body, via a catheter. Before and after treatment the seed is kept in a large tungsten safe, to protect the patient and medical staff against radiation.
