Table of contents:
- List of medical procedures in Indonesia with nuclear power
- 1. Radionuclear therapy
- 2. Renogram
- 3. PET scan
- 4. Branchytherapy
Hearing the words "nuclear" and "radioactive compound" certainly makes you shudder with horror. Because maybe you think how terrible the danger of nuclear power is in war. Eits, make no mistake. In recent years, nuclear energy has been developed as a support material for medical examinations in Indonesia. In fact, what types of nuclear power-based health checks exist in Indonesia? Come on, see the full review below.
List of medical procedures in Indonesia with nuclear power
1. Radionuclear therapy
So far, cancer treatment has focused on chemotherapy or radiotherapy. In fact, there are other alternative treatments that are considered effective in treating cancer, namely radionuclear therapy.
Simply put, radionuclear therapy is a medical procedure that uses heat from nuclear radiation to treat disease. Radionuclear therapy is useful for treating a number of cancers, including thyroid cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, lymph node cancer, and neuroblastoma (cancer of the nerve cells in children).
Just like chemotherapy, this therapy is systemic or reaches the entire body through the bloodstream. But the difference is, the radioactive substances in this therapy specifically target cancer cells specifically by damaging the DNA of cancer cells. As a result, cancer cells become easier to control and the side effects caused are less than the effects of chemotherapy.
However, this radionuclear is only available in a number of hospitals in big cities. The cost is quite large for several therapy sessions.
2. Renogram
A renogram is a nuclear-based medical examination used to map kidney function. This procedure is used to measure and monitor the extent to which the patient's kidneys are working properly.
Before undergoing a renogram examination, the patient will be asked to empty his bladder first. Patients are allowed to keep their clothes on, but are obliged to remove all metal objects attached to the body, for example braces, jewelry, and belts.
Furthermore, the patient will be asked by the doctor to lie on a bed or sit on a special chair. On the patient's chair there is a gamma camera that is parallel to the lower back or the location where the kidneys are located.
The patient will be injected with a radionuclide in the form of Iodine-131 into a vein in the arm. These radionuclides will flow throughout the patient's body and are filtered by the kidneys. The patient only needs to sit for 30 to 60 minutes while the gamma camera takes a series of images or images on the patient's kidney.
The advantage of this medical examination is that the patient will not feel any effect. The reason is, the renogram procedure will not emit radiation, but only detect radiation coming from the radionuclide that is injected.
The product produced by the renogram is a graph showing how fast the radionuclide passes through the kidneys and into the patient's bladder. If the graphic pattern tends to be standard, then the patient's kidney function can be said to be in good condition. Conversely, if there is a graph that deviates from the standard, it can be said that the patient's kidney function has certain problems.
3. PET scan
Another form of nuclear power utilization in the health sector is the Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan. PET scan is an imaging test with radiation to see the activity of cells in the body.
This procedure is most often used to investigate epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and heart disease. When a PET scan is used to detect cancer, the doctor will look at how the cancer is metabolized in the body and whether the cancer has spread (metastasized) to other organs.
Prior to undergoing a PET scan, patients should not eat any food for 4 to 6 hours prior to undergoing the scan. However, patients still need to consume lots of water to prevent dehydration.
The patient will then be injected with a number of radiotracer, which is a tracer that contains radioactive and natural chemicals such as glucose. This radiotracer will move towards target cells using glucose as energy. Because the body needs time to absorb the radiotracer, the patient has to wait about an hour before the scan begins. Then the patient is asked to lie down on the surface connected to the PET machine and begin the scan.
4. Branchytherapy
Branchytherapy is a medical procedure that utilizes nuclear power. This medical examination, often referred to as local radiation, is used to treat a number of cancers, such as brain cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, eye cancer, lung cancer, and other types of cancer.
Branchytherapy allows doctors to give higher radiation doses to specific areas of the body. However, the side effects and duration of healing are even faster than other external radiation.
This medical examination can be done separately or in conjunction with other cancer treatments. Take, for example, branchytherapy is sometimes used to help destroy the remaining cancer cells after surgery, or it can be done in conjunction with external beam radiation.
Branchytherapy is performed by inserting radioactive material directly into the body near the location of the cancer. However, this is influenced by many factors, including the location and severity of the cancer, the patient's overall health condition, and the goals of the treatment itself.
This radioactive can be placed in two parts of the body, namely:
1. In a body cavity
During intracavity branchytherapy, a device containing radioactive material is placed in a body cavity, such as the throat or vagina. This tool can be in the form of a tube or cylinder that matches the size of the body cavity that is the target. This set of devices is then positioned by the hands of the radiation therapy team or with the aid of a machine to pinpoint the location of the cancer.
2. In body tissues
During interstitial branchytherapy, devices containing radioactive material are placed in body tissues, such as in the breast or prostate. This tool consists of a needle and a small balloon about the size of rice at the end. A CT scan, ultrasound (ultrasound), or other imaging is then used to help guide the tool at the cancerous tissue and the scan begins.
