Medical Transcription and Healthcare Experience Sharing

In the next lesson we will learn some important medical terms related to radiology nuclear medicine. Okay. 1. Cobalit-60 - A radioactive material in radiotherapy. 2. Brachythrerapy- Brachy- means tiny-Radiation therapy using an implanted radioisotope radiation source. 3. Cineradiography- Employment of motion picture method to document a chain of x-ray representations. 4. Betatron-This is a machine employed in radiotherapy to distribute a prescribed amount of radiation to a patient. 5. External beam radiation - Relevant radiation is used as an outlying source. 6. CT scan or computed tomography - Investigative x-ray technique by which a cross-section representation of pictures taken of an exact portion of the body is documented. 7. Fluorescence - The production of blazing light that results from contact to and incorporation of radiation from x-rays. 8. Fluoroscopy - A fluorescent representation of x-rays taken on a screen. ...

Brachytherapy comprises interstitial therapy and intracavitary therapy. To facilitate delivery of interstitial therapy, a radioactive material for example gold-198, iridium-192 or iodine-125 is put in using a surgery in the surrounding area. The radionuclide is inserted as an element of strands using tiny preserved bud vases or in detachable needles. These stands are called seeds. In the intracavitary therapy the radioactive source is placed closest to the tumor inside a body cavity. For this process radioactive materials like radium, cesium-137 or phosphorous-32 are used. Uterus, cervix, and vaginal cancers are managed using intracavitary therapy. Dispensation of radioactive materials into the bloodstream is one more variety of radiotherapy. For this method of radiotherapy iodine-131 is used to treat hyperthyroidism and thyroid carcinoma. Iodine-131 is dispensed orally in hyperthyroidism and this material mixed with blood and mounts up in the thyroid gland. This...

Radiation Therapy:  X-rays and radionuclides are used in the medical field for both detecting disease, as well as curing diseases in the form of therapy. Using large doses of radiation materials via therapy is life-threatening event to the calls of the body those are irradiated. The specialization of radiation oncology has been chiefly ready to lend a hand as a technique for the handling of cancers. The equipments used for radiation oncology are unlike from those used for detection of diseases. The machines used in radiation therapy bring about rays of many times higher intensity. Orthovoltage machines deliver low-energy radiation, which in modern treatment centers is used in managing cancers for superficial skin cancers. Megavoltage machines produce high-energy radiation. These megavoltage machines are used to heal more profound tissues. This is curative radiotherapy treatment for cancer. Betatron and linear accelerator are the two types of radiother...

NUCLEAR MEDICINE TESTS: Procedures: Nuclear medicine physicians use two types of tests in the diagnosis of disease. In vitro (in the test tube) procedures and in vivo (in the body) procedures. In vitro procedures involve analysis of blood and urine specimens using radioactive chemicals. For example, a radioimmunoassay (RIA) is an in vitro procedure that combines the use of radioactive chemicals and antibodies to detect hormones and drugs in a patient's blood. The test allows the detection of minute amounts of drug. RIA is used to monitor the amount of digitalis, a drug used to treat heart disease in a patient's bloodstream and can detect hypothyroidism in newborn infants. In vivo tests trace the amounts of radioactive substances within the body. They are given directly to a patient to evaluate the function of an organ or to image it. For example, in tracer studies a specific radionuclide is incorporated into a chemical substance and administered to a patie...

Cardiac Creatine phosphokinase (CK) - Levels rise 4 to 8 hours after an acute MI, peaking at 16 to 30 hours and returning to baseline within 4 days 25-200 U/L 32-150 U/L CK-MB CK isoenzyme - It begins to increase 6 to 10 hours after an acute MI, peaks in 24 hours, and remains elevated for up to 72 hours. <>400 IU/L (LDH) Lactate dehydrogenase - Total LDH will begin to rise 2 to 5 days after an MI; the elevation can last 10 days. 140-280 U/L LDH-1 and LDH-2 LDH isoenzymes - Compare LDH 1 and LDH 2 levels. Normally, the LDH-1 value will be less than the LDH-2. In the acute MI, however, the LDH 2 remains constant, while LDH 1 rises. When the LDH 1 is higher than LDH 2, the LDH is said to be flipped, which is highly suggestive of an MI. A flipped pattern appears 12-24 hours post MI and persists for 48 hours. LDH-1 18%-33% LDH-2 28%-40% SGOT - will begin to rise in 8-12 hours and peak in 18-30 hours 10-42 U/L Myoglobin - early and sensitive diagnosis of myoc...

Thyroid Chemistry:  THYROXINE (T4) - Increased levels are found in hyperthyroidism, acute thyroiditis, and hepatitis. Low levels can be found in Cretinism, hypothyroidism, cirrhosis, malnutrition, and chronic thyroiditis. Normal Adult Range: 4 - 12 ug/dl Optimal Adult Reading: 8 ug/dl T3-UPTAKE - Increased levels are found in hyperthyroidism, severe liver disease, metastatic malignancy, and pulmonary insufficiency. Decreased levels are found in hypothyroidism, normal pregnancy, and hyperestrogenis status. Normal Adult Range: 27 - 47% Optimal Adult Reading: 37 % FREE T4 INDEX (T7) Normal Adult Range: 4 - 12 Optimal Adult Reading: 8 THYROID-STIMULATING HORMONE (TSH) - produced by the anterior pituitary gland, causes the release and distribution of stored thyroid hormones. When T4 and T3 are too high, TSH secretion decreases, when T4 and T3 are low, TSH secretion increases. Normal Adult Range: .5 - 6 miliIU/L. In the next post we will learn about Car...

Electrolyte Values:  SODIUM - Sodium is the most abundant cation in the blood and its chief base. It functions in the body to maintain osmotic pressure, acid-base balance and to transmit nerve impulses. Very Low value: seizure and Neurologic Sx. Normal Adult Range: 135-146 mEq/L Optimal Adult Reading: 140.5 POTASSIUM - Potassium is the major intracellular cation. Very low value: Cardiac arythemia. Normal Range: 3.5 - 5.5 mEq/L Optimal Adult Reading: 4.5 CHLORIDE - Elevated levels are related to acidosis as well as too much water crossing the cell membrane. Decreased levels with decreased serum albumin may indicate water deficiency crossing the cell membrane (edema). Normal Adult Range: 95-112 mEq/L Optimal Adult Reading: 103 CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) - The CO2 level is related to the respiratory exchange of carbon dioxide in the lungs and is part of the bodies buffering system. Generally when used with the other electrolytes, it is a good indicator of acid...