Radiopharmacy deals with the manufacture and dispensing of radioactive materials that are used as radioactive medicines (or better known as radiopharmaceuticals).
Radiopharmacy:
dispensing and protection
Radiopharmacy deals with the manufacture and dispensing of
radioactive materials that are used as radioactive medicines (or better known
as radiopharmaceuticals).
Radiopharmaceuticals can be used as diagnostic or therapeutic tools.
Radionuclides that are used for a diagnosis should have as little an impact as
possi-ble on the health of the patient. Therefore, radioactive elements with a
short-half-life and ones that only emit γ-radiation are seen as ideal. The
radionuclide 99mTc in combination with a gamma camera is often used
for imaging purposes, as the former has a half-life of 6 h and only emits
γ-rays. Radionuclides that emit β-particles are more suitable for a therapeutic
use. 131I with its β-radiation is used for the treatment of
hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) and metastatic diseases of the thyroid
gland. 131I also emits gamma radiation, which can be used to
diagnose renal function and determine exactly the glomerular filtration rate.
Radiation can cause harmful effects in humans, which include
nausea, skin burns, cancer, sterility, hair loss and even death. Nevertheless,
all of these side effects depend on the type of radiation and its energy, the
penetration power and the time scale of exposure. If radiation is used
correctly, it can offer a range of useful applications. These include the
treatment of cancer, sterilisation of medical instruments and, away from
clinical applications, the generation of energy and dating of archaeological
remains.
The correct protection from radiation is crucial for the safe
handling of radioactive material. Radiation protection can be achieved by
shielding; plastic and aluminium can shield from β rays, whereas lead or
tung-sten is needed to effectively shield from gamma rays. Furthermore,
distance and time scale of exposure are important factors for the effective
protection from radiation. The radiation dose is inversely proportional to the
square of the distance from the radiation source. Also, minimising the time of
exposure helps to reduce the risk of side effects from radiation.
The role of a specialised pharmacist, amongst other things,
focusses on the correct dispensing of the radio-pharmaceutical, which is more
complicated than the dispensing of a nonradioactive item. The pharmacist is
responsible to ensure that the proper prescribed dose is prepared and
dispensed. This is not as simple as it sounds, as radioactive material
undergoes continuous decay. Therefore, it is important to state when the
activ-ity was measured and what the half-life of this radionuclide is.
Radiopharmaceuticals are typically dispensed in doses of units of activity
(mainly kilobecquerel or megabecquerel).
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