RESUMO
Nuclear Endocrinology was the first clinical use of radionuclides, five decades ago. From those days to the present, nuclear medicine has a definitive role in the diagnosis of a great variety of clinical situations, from the very frequent thyroid nodule to the unusual neuroendocrine tumors, including parathyroid hyperfunctioning tissue. Radioiodine I131 still remains a very effective treatment for differentiated thyroid cancer and whole body scan with I131 in conjunction with seric Tyroglobulin level are the main follow-up strategies for these tumors. New techniques, like positron emission tomography (PET) and newer radiolabeled peptides, among others, will offer a molecular approach to the 21st century clinical nuclear medicine.
Se presentan las principales indicaciones actuales de los estudios radioisotópicos en endocrinología clínica, y su situación relativa con el resto de las técnicas de imagen no invasivas disponibles en nuestro medio. Se discuten brevemente las nuevas aplicaciones terapéuticas y su potencial desarrollo.