Radiology NM students

Mulago Referral Hospital

This document provides lecture notes on radiopharmaceuticals, starting with fundamental definitions of nuclides, radionuclides, and isotopes. It explains the production of radionuclides through nuclear reactors and cyclotrons, detailing methods like neutron activation and fission products, and introduces radionuclide generators like the 99Mo/99mTc system. The notes also cover essential quality control checks for generators and factors influencing radiopharmaceutical use. A significant portion is dedicated to the gamma camera, describing its components (collimator, crystal detector, PMTs, electronics), the function of collimators in defining the field of view and discriminating photons, and various collimator classifications. Signal processing, PMT operation, and characteristics of modern gamma cameras are also discussed, along with quality assurance in SPECT and dose calibrator QC.