More than 2000 people in the Mildura region have received a nuclear medicine procedure at some stage during the past year. These nuclear medicine procedures use radiopharmaceuticals produced by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, which is based at Lucas Heights, south of Sydney. Most of the radiopharmaceuticals were produced through the operation of ANSTOs research reactor, HIFAR (High Flux Australian Reactor).
Medical radioisotopes used in nuclear medicine use 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. 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 in more therapeutic applications continues to grow. At the recent international conference on nuclear medicine there was a 40 per cent increase in attendance compared with 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 or by injection or inhalation and is detected by a gamma camera, which builds up a computer image that can be viewed by the physician.
ANSTO Media Release. Mildura reaps benefits of nuclear medicine are similar to the Murray Valley Nuclear Medicine Centre in Mildura to which ANSTO supplies radiopharmaceuticals.