More than 1100 nuclear procedures occur in the Wingecarribee region every year, benefiting residents from the southern highlands and as far away as Goulburn and Kangaroo Valley.
These nuclear medicine procedures use radiopharmaceuticals produced by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation based at Lucas Heights south of Sydney. Most of the radiopharmaceuticals were produced from the operation of ANSTOs HIFAR research reactor.
Medical radioisotopes used in nuclear medicine uses a small amount of radiation to provide information about a persons body and the functioning of specific organs. In most cases, the information is used by physicians to make an accurate diagnosis of the patients illness and in some cases radiation can be used to treat diseased organs or tumours.
Demand for radiopharmaceuticals produced by ANSTO grew to record levels during the 2000-2001 financial year with a 13 per cent increase in sales. The head of ANSTOs Radiopharmaceuticals, Dr Stuart Carr, said, "Clinical interest in better diagnostic imaging and more therapeutic applications also continues to grow. At the recent international conference on nuclear medicine there was a 40 per cent increase on attendance for the previous year.
Nuclear imaging techniques use radioactive tracers that emit gamma rays from within the body. The tracer is attached to a pharmaceutical (making it a radiopharmaceutical) that is taken up by a specific organ. The radiopharmaceutical is given orally, by injection or inhalation and is detected by a gamma camera, which builds up a computer image that can be viewed by the physician.
There are more than 200 nuclear medical facilities located around Australia similar to Wingecarribee Nuclear Medicine in Bowral to which ANSTO supplies radiopharmaceuticals.
Published: 31/05/2002