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Examples of tracer radioisotopes in medicineVarious types of radio isotopes are used as tracer to detect (diagnose) various types of diseases, including: technetium (Tc-99), thallium-201 (Ti-201), iodine 131 (1-131), sodium-24 (Na-24) , senon-133 (xe-133) and iron (Fe-59). |
Examples of tracer radioisotopes and their functions
- Tc-99 which is injected into the blood vessels will be absorbed mainly by the damaged tissue in certain organs, such as the heart, liver and lungs. On the other hand, Ti-201 will mainly be absorbed by healthy tissues in the heart organ. Therefore, the two isotopes are used together to detect heart damage.
- I-131 will be absorbed by the adenoids, liver and certain parts of the brain. Therefore, I-131 can be used to detect damage to the adenoids, liver and to detect brain tumors.
- A salt solution containing Na-24 is injected into the vein to detect circulatory disorders, for example, is there a blockage by detecting gamma rays emitted by the sodium isotope.
- Xe-133 is used to detect lung disease.
- P-32 for eye, tumor and liver disease. Fe-59 to study the formation of red blood cells.
Sometimes, radioisotopes that are used for diagnosis are also used for therapy, namely with stronger doses, for example, 1-131 is also used for the therapy of thyroid gland cancer.