radioisotope scanning

Use of radioactive materials (radioisotopes or radionucleides) to pinpoint disease. It reveals the size and shape of the target organ and whether any part of it is failing to take up radioactive material, usually an indication of disease.

The speciality known as nuclear medicine makes use of the affinity of different chemical elements for certain parts of the body. Iodine, for instance, always makes its way to the thyroid gland. After being made radioactive, these materials can be given by mouth or injected, and then traced on scanners working on the Geiger-counter principle. The diagnostic record gained from radioisotope scanning is known as a scintigram.