Competencies > Technology > Nuclear medicine
Nuclear medicine
It is possible to make metabolic processes in the body visible using a variety of weak radioactive substances. This involves administering radioactively marked substances - referred to as radiopharmaceuticals - to patients. The metabolic processes are made visible using a special machine, called the gamma camera.
Heart diseases and tumours are often shown by means of a much higher intake of radioactive sugar. Nuclear medicine can produce an image of this and help to locate the focus of a disease. Unlike with X-rays, the metabolic processes are shown in the image instead of the organ structures.