PRINCIPLES OF X-RAY TECHNOLOGY IN MEDICAL IMAGING AND IMPROVEMENT OF RADIOLOGICAL IMAGES (2nd Part)

ABSTRACT

Radioisotopes are unstable nuclei of elements (eg Molybdenum 99), which are transformed into stable nuclei while emitting radiation (particles, photons). This phenomenon is characterized as radioactivity. Radioactivity can be natural or artificial. Artificial radioactivity is that observed in isotopes produced artificially in a laboratory. The study of radioactive isotopes in combination with the development of systems for the detection of emitted radiation, was the trigger for the investigation of possible applications of radioisotopes in medicine. This research resulted in the creation of a new science, Nuclear Medicine, whose main purpose is to apply the properties of radioisotopes in the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases.