“Is a scintigraphy similar to an x-ray?”
I read that nuclear specialists use scintigraphy technology in the field. Would you say that is comparable to an x-ray?
2 Answers
It’s similar, but different. . .
In Nuclear Medicine, a small dose of a radioactive substance (radioisotope) is attached to a substance that’s similar to a physiologic substance in the body. This tagged radiotracer is either administered by mouth, intravenously, intradermally, via the urethra, or into the cerebral spinal fluid depending on what type of function you’re evaluating. There’s even a study where it’s dropped into the eye to evaluate tear ducts.
In Nuclear Medicine, a small dose of a radioactive substance (radioisotope) is attached to a substance that’s similar to a physiologic substance in the body. This tagged radiotracer is either administered by mouth, intravenously, intradermally, via the urethra, or into the cerebral spinal fluid depending on what type of function you’re evaluating. There’s even a study where it’s dropped into the eye to evaluate tear ducts.
No. X-rays pass through the body and different tissues have differences in attenuation that create contrasting images. Scintigraphy occurs when the radioactive isotope is in one’s body and emits radiation captured by imaging cameras. Scintigraphy generally represents physiologic function and x-ray represent anatomy.
