The Role of Nuclear Medicine in Thyroid and Parathyroid Disorders

Nuclear medicine is a subspecialty that uses medically approved radioisotopes for imaging and therapy. Gamma-emitting radioisotopes are ideal agents for imaging, while beta and alpha emitters are used for radionuclide therapy. Nuclear imaging is commonly called “Scintigraphy” derived from the Latin word “scintilla,” meaning “spark.” The gamma camera is the instrument used to acquire images (gamma emissions or scintillations), while PETCT/MR captures the gamma-ray emissions from positron-emitting radioisotopes injected into the patient. All patients receive a radioactive isotope/radiopharmaceutical injection, and once it gets localized into the organ of interest, images are acquired. Processed high-quality images are visually and quantitatively analyzed to identify early organ physiological derangements.