Nuclear Medicine Glossary

Would you like to become a nuclear medicine technician? Well, you can at Ahuntsic College in Montreal. If you are looking for words related to this field, look no further.

Glossary

abnormal

Not normal; deviating from the usual or typical.

abnormality

Deviation from the typical or usual; irregularity.

absorb

To take in all or part of incident radiated energy and retain the part that is not reflected or transmitted.

absorption

The process of absorbing or the state of being absorbed.

administer

To put into execution; dispense: administer justice when intr, followed by to: to give or apply medicine, assistance, etc as a remedy or relief.

adverse

Contrary to one’s interests or welfare; harmful or unfavorable.

ALARA principle

The principle governing exposure to ionizing radiation; exposure must always be as low as is reasonably achievable to confirm the diagnosis.

allergic

Of, relating to, having, or caused by an allergy.

allergy

A hypersensitivity to a substance that causes the body to react to any contact with that substance.

anatomy

The physical structure of an animal or plant or any of its parts.

ankle

The joint connecting the leg and the foot.

arm

Either of the upper limbs from the shoulder to the wrist.

avoid

To keep out of the way of; to refrain from doing; to prevent from happening.

back

The posterior part of the human body, extending from the neck to the pelvis.

backpack

A knapsack, often mounted on a lightweight frame, that is worn on a person’s back, as to carry camping supplies.

bed

A piece of furniture for reclining and sleeping, typically consisting of a flat, rectangular frame and a mattress resting on springs.

bedpan

A metal, glass, or plastic receptacle for the urinary and fecal discharges of persons confined to bed.

belongings

The things that a person owns or has with him; possessions; effects.

belt

A flexible band, as of leather or cloth, worn around the waist to support clothing, secure tools or weapons, or serve as decoration.

bend

To turn or cause to turn from a particular direction.

benign

Of no danger to health; not recurrent or progressive; not malignant.

bladder

Any of various distensible membranous sacs, such as the urinary bladder or the swim bladder, that serve as receptacles for fluid or gas.

blood

A reddish fluid in vertebrates that is pumped by the heart through the arteries and veins, supplies tissues with nutrients, oxygen, etc, and removes waste products.

blood flow

The circulation of blood.

blood pressure

The pressure of blood on the walls of the arteries, dependent on the energy of the heart action, elasticity of the arterial walls, and volume and viscosity of the blood.

blood supply

The volume of blood supplied to an organ or part during a particular time period.

blood test

An analysis of a sample of blood, especially for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.

bone

The dense, semirigid, porous, calcified connective tissue forming the major portion of the skeleton of most vertebrates.

bone density

A measurement corresponding to the mineral density of bone, used to diagnose osteopenia and osteoporosis; also called bone mineral density.

bone fracture

A break or rupture in a bone.

bone marrow

The soft, fatty, vascular tissue that fills most bone cavities and is the source of red blood cells and many white blood cells.

boot

Protective footgear, as of leather or rubber, covering the foot and part or all of the leg.

bowel

An intestine, especially the large intestine in humans.

bowel movement

The discharge of waste matter from the large intestine; defecation.

bra

A woman’s undergarment for supporting the breasts.

bracelet

An ornamental band or chain encircling the wrist or arm.

brain

The portion of the vertebrate central nervous system that is enclosed within the cranium, continuous with the spinal cord, and composed of gray matter and white matter.

brain cell

A nerve cell in the brain.

breast

Either of two milk-secreting, glandular organs on the chest of a woman; the human mammary gland.

breastfeed

To feed a baby mother’s milk from the breast; suckle.

breastfeeding

Suckling or nursing, giving a baby milk from the breast.

breath

The air inhaled and exhaled during ventilation of the lungs.

breathe

To inhale and exhale during respiration; to respire.

cancer

A large group of almost 100 diseases, its two main characteristics are uncontrolled growth of the cells in the human body and the ability of these cells to migrate from the original site and spread to distant sites, and if the spread is not controlled, cancer can result in death.

cancerous

Pertaining to or resembling a cancer.

cane

An assistive device that provides partial support and balance for ambulation and standing.

cap

A usually soft and close-fitting head covering, either having no brim or with a visor.

cellular phone

A mobile telephone using a system of radio transmitters, each covering separate areas, and computers for switching calls from one area to another.

chair

A piece of furniture consisting of a seat, legs, back, and often arms, designed to accommodate one person.

chest

The part of the body between the neck and the abdomen, enclosed by the ribs and the breastbone; the thorax.

clip

Any of various devices for gripping or holding things together; a clasp or fastener.

clothes

Garments for the body; articles of dress; wearing apparel.

coat

A sleeved outer garment extending from the shoulders to the waist or below.

cold

Feeling no warmth; uncomfortably chilled.

comfortable

Being in a state of physical or mental comfort; contented and undisturbed; at ease.

crutch

A staff or support used by the physically injured or disabled as an aid in walking, usually designed to fit under the armpit and often used in pairs.

CT-scan (computed tomography)

An examination performed with a cat scanner.

date of birth

The date day, month, year of one’s birth.

detect

To discover or ascertain the existence, presence, or fact of.

detectable

Capable of being detected.

detection

The act or process of detecting; discovery.

diagnose

To distinguish or identify a disease, for example by diagnosis.

diagnosis

The identification of diseases by the examination of symptoms and signs and by other investigations.

diagnostic test

Any kind of medical test performed to aid in the diagnosis or detection of disease.

dizziness

A reeling sensation; a feeling that you are about to fall.

dizzy

Having a whirling sensation and a tendency to fall.

doctor

A person licensed to practise medicine.

dosage

The administration of a drug or agent in prescribed amounts and at prescribed intervals.

dose

A specific quantity of a therapeutic drug or agent taken at any one time or at specified intervals.

dosimeter

An instrument for measuring the dose of x-rays or other radiation absorbed by matter or the intensity of a source of radiation.

duration

The length of time that something lasts or continues.

earring

An ornament for the ear, usually clipped onto the lobe or fastened through a hole pierced in the lobe.

elbow

The joint between the upper arm and the forearm, formed by the junction of the radius and ulna with the humerus.

electrode

A conductor through which an electric current enters or leaves an electrolyte, an electric arc, or an electronic valve or tube.

empty stomach

Stomach void of food.

epilepsy

A disorder of the central nervous system characterized by periodic loss of consciousness with or without convulsions.

exam

Physical inspection of a patient or parts of his body, in order to verify health or diagnose disease.

exhale

To breathe out.

expose

To subject a photographic film or plate to light, x-rays, or some other type of actinic radiation.

exposure

The act of exposing a photographic film or plate to light, x-rays, etc.

family name

A name shared in common to identify the members of a family, as distinguished from each member’s given name, also called surname, last name.

fast

To abstain from eating food.

first name

A name given to a person at birth, as opposed to a surname, also called christian name, forename and given name.

fluid

A substance, such as a liquid, that can flow, has no fixed shape, and offers little resistance to an external stress.

flush

To flow or flood or cause to flow or flood with or as if with water.

follow-up exam

The act or an instance of following up, as to further an end or review new developments.

foot

The lower extremity of the vertebrate leg that is in direct contact with the ground in standing or walking.

forearm

The part of the arm from the elbow to the wrist.

fusion imaging

A combination of two images from different modalities, such as computed tomography and positron emission tomography.

gall bladder

A small, pear-shaped muscular sac, located under the right lobe of the liver, in which bile secreted by the liver is stored until needed by the body for digestion.

gamma camera

A camera, somewhat like an x-ray machine, used to photograph internal organs after the patient has been injected with a radioactive material.

gamma radiation

A very-high-frequency form of electromagnetic radiation consisting of photons emitted by radioactive elements in the course of nuclear transition.

glasses

Spectacles; lenses arranged in a frame holding them in the proper position before the eyes, as an aid to vision.

gown

The protective garment worn by health care provider designed to prevent the spread of infection between the health care provider and the patient.

hairclip

A hair pin or hairpin is a long device used to hold a person’s hair in place.

half-life

The time required for the radioactivity of material taken in by a living organism to be reduced to half its initial value by a combination of biological elimination processes and radioactive decay.

hand

The terminal part of the human arm located below the forearm, used for grasping and holding and consisting of the wrist, palm, four fingers, and an opposable thumb.

heal

To restore or be restored to health.

health

Soundness, especially of body or mind; freedom from disease or abnormality.

health insurance card

A card giving access to insured healthcare services.

healthy

Possessing good health.

heart

The chambered muscular organ in vertebrates that pumps blood received from the veins into the arteries, thereby maintaining the flow of blood through the entire circulatory system.

heart attack

Sudden interruption or insufficiency of the supply of blood to the heart, typically resulting from occlusion or obstruction of a coronary artery and often characterized by severe chest pain; also called myocardial infarction.

hormone

A substance, usually a peptide or steroid, produced by one tissue and conveyed by the bloodstream to another to effect physiological activity, such as growth or metabolism.

hyperthyroidism

The condition resulting from excessive activity of the thyroid gland, characterized by increased basal metabolism.

illness

Poor health resulting from disease of body or mind; sickness.

inhale

To draw air or smoke, for example into the lungs by breathing; inspire.

inject

To introduce a drug or vaccine, for example into a body part, especially by means of a syringe.

injection

Something that is injected, especially a dose of liquid medicine injected into the body.

intestine

The portion of the alimentary canal extending from the stomach to the anus and, in humans and other mammals, consisting of two segments.

iodine

A bluish-black element of the halogen group that sublimates into a violet irritating gas.

isotope

One of two or more atoms having the same atomic number but different mass numbers.

jacket

A short coat usually extending to the hips.

jewelry, jewellery

Ornaments, such as bracelets, necklaces, or rings, made of precious metals set with gems or imitation gems.

joint

A point of articulation between two or more bones, especially such a connection that allows motion.

kidney

Either of two bean-shaped organs at the back of the abdominal cavity in man, one on each side of the spinal column.

kidney basin, kidney dish, kidney tray

A shallow kidney-shaped basin used especially for the collection of bodily discharges.

knee

The joint of the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella.

left

Of, belonging to, located on, or being the side of the body to the north when the subject is facing east.

leg

One of the lower or hind limbs in humans and primates.

liver

A large, reddish-brown, glandular vertebrate organ located in the upper right portion of the abdominal cavity that secretes bile and is active in the formation of certain blood proteins and in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.

lung

Either of two spongy, saclike respiratory organs in most vertebrates, occupying the chest cavity together with the heart and functioning to remove carbon dioxide from the blood and provide it with oxygen.

lymph node, lymph gland

Any of numerous bean-shaped masses of tissue, situated along the course of lymphatic vessels, that help to protect against infection by killing bacteria and neutralizing toxins and are the source of lymphocytes.

lymphoma

Any of various usually malignant tumors that arise in the lymph nodes or in other lymphoid tissue.

magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Used in medicine to diagnose disorders of body structures that do not show up well on x-rays.

make an appointment

To schedule a meeting with someone.

malignant

Growing worse and resisting treatment; used as a synonym for cancerous and connotes a harmful condition that generally is life-threatening.

medication

A medicine; a medicament.

molecular imaging

Imaging technology based on the molecular nature of biologic changes caused by a particular disease.

mouthpiece

A device protecting the teeth from injury, also known as mouthguard.

myocardial perfusion

The flow of blood to the heart muscle.

nausea

The sensation that precedes vomiting.

nauseous

Causing nausea.

neck

The part of an organism connecting the head with the rest of the body.

necklace

A chain, band, or cord, worn around the neck as an ornament, especially by women.

noninvasive

Not involving the making of a relatively large incision in the body or the insertion of instruments into the patient.

nuclide

A type of atom specified by its atomic number, atomic mass, and energy state, such as carbon 14.

organ

A fully differentiated structural and functional unit, such as a kidney or a root, in an animal or plant.

pain

An unpleasant sensation occurring in varying degrees of severity as a consequence of injury, disease, or emotional disorder.

painless

Free from complication or pain.

parathyroid

Small body in the region of the thyroid gland, occurring in a variable number of pairs, commonly two, containing two types of cell: chief cells and oxyphils.

patient

A person who is receiving medical care.

personal belongings

The things that a person owns or has with him or her.

positron emission tomography (PET)

A device that produces cross-sectional x-rays of metabolic processes by means of positron emission tomography.

physician

A person licensed to practice medicine; a medical doctor.

positron

One of the small particles that make up an atom; a positron has the same mass and amount of charge as an electron, but the positron has a positive charge.

premedication

Any drugs administered to sedate and otherwise prepare a patient for general anaesthesia.

procedure

A way of acting or progressing in a course of action, esp an established method.

prognosis

A prediction of the probable course and outcome of a disease.

prosthesis

An artificial substitute for a missing body part, such as an arm, leg, eye, or tooth; used for functional or cosmetic reasons or both.

radioactive

Of, exhibiting, or caused by radioactivity.

radioactivity

The radiation, including alpha particles, nucleons, electrons, and gamma rays, emitted by a radioactive substance.

radioisotope

A radioactive isotope; one having an unstable nucleus and emitting characteristic radiation during its decay to a stable form.

radionuclide

A nuclide that has artificial or natural origin and that exhibits radioactivity.

radiopharmaceutical

A radioactive compound used in radiotherapy or diagnosis.

radiotracer

A radioactive isotope used as tracer.

scan

To examine a body or body part with a cat scanner or similar scanning apparatus.

seizure

A sudden manifestation or recurrence of a disease, such as an epileptic convulsion.

side effect

A peripheral or secondary effect, especially an undesirable secondary effect of a drug or therapy.

sit up

To rest with the torso vertical and the body supported on the buttocks, especially meaning not slouching.

single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)

An imaging technique using gamma rays.

slouch

To be in a lazy, drooping posture

spleen

A spongy highly vascular organ situated near the stomach in people, which forms lymphocytes, produces antibodies, aids in destroying worn-out red blood cells, and filters bacteria and foreign particles from the blood.

stand

To rise to an upright position on the feet.

stomach

The musculomembranous expansion of the alimentary canal between the esophagus and duodenum, consisting of a cardiac part, a fundus, a body, and a pyloric part.

straight

Not curved or crooked; continuing in the same direction without deviating.

surgeon

A medical practioner who specializes in surgery.

surgery

The branch of medicine that treats diseases, injuries, and deformities by manual or operative methods.

surgical

Of, relating to, involving, or used in surgery.

suspenders

A pair of straps worn over the shoulders by men for holding up the trousers.

swallow

To take through the mouth and esophagus into the stomach .

sweater

A jacket or pullover made especially of knit, crocheted, or woven wool, cotton, or synthetic yarn.

therapy

Remedial treatment of mental or bodily disorder .

thyroid gland

A large bilobed endocrine gland at the base of the neck and produces the hormones thyroxine and triiodothyronine.

tissue

An aggregation of morphologically similar cells of which there are four basic types: muscle, nerve, epidermal, and connective.

treat

To give medical aid to counteract a disease or condition.

treatment

Administration or application of remedies to a patient or for a disease or injury; medicinal or surgical management; therapy.

tumour, tumor

An abnormal benign or malignant new growth of tissue that possesses no physiological function and arises from uncontrolled usually rapid cellular proliferation.

ultrasound

Ultrasonic waves at frequencies above the audible range (above about 20 khz, used in cleaning metallic parts, echo sounding, medical diagnosis and therapy.

underwear

Clothing worn under the outer garments, usually next to the skin.

urinate

To discharge urine.

urine

The pale yellow slightly acid fluid excreted by the kidneys, stored in the urinary bladder and discharged through the urethra.

vein

Any of the tubular branching vessels that carry blood from the capillaries toward the heart.

vitamin

Any of a group of substances that are essential, in small quantities, for the normal functioning of metabolism in the body.

vomit

To eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth as the result of involuntary muscular spasms of the stomach and oesophagus.

watch

A small portable timepiece, usually worn strapped to the wrist.

x-ray

Electromagnetic radiation emitted when matter is bombarded with fast electrons.