• A?radioactive tracer?is defined as:

A radioactive substance that can be absorbed by tissue in order to study the structure and function of organs in the body

• Radioactive?isotopes, such as?technetium-99m?or?fluorine-18, are suitable for this purpose because:
  • They both bind to organic molecules, such as glucose or water, which are readily available in the body
  • They both emit gamma (γ) radiation and decay into stable isotopes
  • Technetium-99m?has a short?half-life?of 6 hours (it is a short-lived form of Technetium-99)
  • Fluorine-18?has an even shorter half-life of 110 minutes, so the patient is exposed to radiation for a shorter time

• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is:

A type of nuclear medical procedure that images tissues and organs by measuring the?metabolic activity??of the cells of body tissues

• A common tracer used in PET scanning is a glucose molecule with radioactive fluorine attached called?fluorodeoxyglucose
  • The fluorine nuclei undergoesβ⁺decay?– emitting a?positron?(β⁺particle)
• The radioactive tracer is injected or swallowed into the patient and flows around the body
• Once the tissues and organs have absorbed the tracer, then they appear on the screen as a bright area for a diagnosis
  • This allows doctors to determine the progress of a disease and how effective any treatments have been
• Tracers are used not only for the diagnosis of cancer but also for the heart and detecting areas of decreased blood flow and brain injuries, including Alzheimer's and dementia

Step 1: ??????????

Work out what will be on the reactants and products side

Step 2: ??????????

Write the nuclear equation