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Nuclear Medicine
Isotope Production
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Patient Treatment
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<h2>Imaging of Patients</h2> <p>The most commonly used medical isotope is technetium-99m. It is not used to treat disease but to create images of patients to help in diagnosis. It is injected into a patient, and as it decays it emits energy. Energy in sunlight can be detected on photographic film to make an image. In the same way, energy emitted from the technetium-99m can be detected to create an internal image of the patient. This is a very powerful technique for diagnosing cancer.</p><br> <p>The majority of the technetium-99m used in the world comes from the NRU reactor: more than 10,000 people treated every day.</p><br>
