Whereas CT and plain radiographs can only assess the physical structure of the object being imaged, molecular imaging assesses the physiology at a molecular and cellular level. Molecular imaging can be nuclear, using radiopharmaceuticals, or non-nuclear and nuclear imaging can be in vivo or in vitro. Additionally, nuclear medicine is the field of using radiopharmaceuticals to measure and image physiological functions and to treat conditions, such as hyperthyroidism.
This chapter will focus on nuclear imaging and covers radiopharmaceuticals, gamma camera imaging, planar imaging, SPECT, PET, factors affecting image quality, artefacts and quality assurance in nuclear imaging.
