Download Nuclear Medicine and Radiation - Brighton and Sussex University

Nuclear Medicine
and Radiation
Department of Nuclear Medicine
Patient Information
All Nuclear Medicine procedures and scans involve the use
of ionising radiation, a form of energy that is found in both
natural and man-made sources. We are surrounded by sources
of natural radiation all the time in our everyday lives; examples
include radioactivity in building materials, rocks and soil,
radiation coming from space - even the air we breathe and food
we eat contain small amounts of radiation.
Nuclear medicine scans and therapies involve administration of
a radioactive substance into your body. The radioactive element
is attached to a suitable drug. This is taken up in a specific part
of your body, and depending on the type of drug there may be
a delay before this happens.
In the majority of nuclear medicine scans, the radioactive
element used is Technetium (pronounced tek-nee-shee-um).
This has a half-life of six hours – which means the amount of
radioactivity inside your body will halve every six hours. After
24 hours, most of the radioactivity will be gone.
In a nuclear medicine scan the radioactivity is detected by a camera,
and gradually forms an image. In nuclear medicine therapies the
emitted radiation is used to treat the tissue of interest.
Justification
UK law requires medical exposures of radiation to be justified.
In other words, your nuclear medicine procedure will only be
authorised if our clinicians decide that the benefits significantly
outweigh the risks. In addition, if our consultant feels that an
alternative procedure with a lower radiation dose is more
suitable, your GP will be informed.
2
What
are
thethe
risksrisks
to me?
What
are
to me?
The most common risk associated with medical radiation
exposures is a slightly higher chance of developing a cancer
in the future. For nearly all medical imaging the risk is too
low to be detected. The risk is negligible when compared with
the lifetime chance of a person developing cancer which is one
in two. As an example, the typical radiation dose for a bone
scan is approximately the same as one year of natural
background radiation.
The risk from the medical radiation exposure is much smaller
than the risk of not having the procedure, and potentially
important clinical information being missed.
Female patients must let us know if they think they may
be pregnant, or are currently breast-feeding, before their
appointment date. It may prove necessary to amend or cancel
your scan.
What
are
thethe
risksrisks
to others?
What
are
to others?
The radiation risks to others as a consequence of your scan
are very small; however we do ask that patients avoid close
contact with pregnant ladies and small children (for example
having a child sit on your lap for more than 30 minutes) for
approximately 12 hours after their scan. This period will be
longer for therapies – specific advice will be given in such cases.
3
Any
Questions?
AnyMore
More
Questions?
Please feel free to ask our staff, before, during or after your
visit, any questions you may have regarding the risks and
benefits of using ionising radiation in your care.
The department of Nuclear Medicine can be contacted on:
01273 696955 Ext. 4382
If you require this document in a language other than English please inform
your
interpreter
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© Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust
Disclaimer
The information in this leaflet is for guidance purposes
only and is in no way intended to replace professional
clinical advice by a qualified practitioner.
Ref number: 700
Publication Date: June 2015
Review Date: June 2017
C P
I G
carer and patient information group approved