Radiopharmaceuticals

The special requirements, production and utilization of radiopharmaceuticals are reviewed. The growth of nuclear medicine as a medical specialty in the past few years has coincided with the development of newer radiopharmaceuticals, particularly in kit form, to take advantage of the favorable physical and dosimetric aspects of short-lived radionuclides such as 99Tc. Studies can now be performed to evaluate morphology and function of many more organs and body regions than was possible only a few years ago. These studies are performed in a non-invasive manner using the tracer principle. (Auth.)