What is the difference between nuclear medicine and radiology?

Answer 1

Nuclear medicine specifically involves the handling of radioactive material.

There are both diagnostic and therapeutic uses of radioactive material in medicine. Injected or ingested radioactive material can be imaged by placing the patient in front of something called a gamma camera.

In some cases, radioactive material is injected which is designed to concentrate in one area of the body to which a therapeutic radiation dose will thus be delivered. An example of this would be the use of I-131 in the ablation of thyroid tissue.

Radiology is the specialty of medicine involving interpreting diagnostic imaging. Many of the images that radiologists evaluate are X-rays or X-ray related technologies such as CT scans, while others such as ultrasound and MRI involve no X-ray radiation. Radiologists also evaluate images obtained from nuclear medicine scanning using the gamma camera, so these fields of medicine are inseparable.

Some radiologists now specialize in something called "Interventional Radiology". In this field, radiologists perform invasive procedures using the guidance of X-ray, ultrasound, or even sometimes MRI. This is a rapidly growing field and a full explanation wouldn't fit here!

I hope that helps!

Answer 2

Radiology is any branch of medicine that uses radiant energy techniques to diagnose or treat the patient. Nuclear medicine is the use of radioactive materials inside the body.

http://www.umm.edu/radiology/nucmed.htm
"Nuclear medicine is a specialized area of radiology that uses very small amounts of radioactive materials, or radiopharmaceuticals, to examine [or treat] organ function and structure."

Answer 3

As far as I'm aware, and I work in a hospital, nuclear medicine is more about ingesting / injecting radioactive substances into the body to track its movement, whereas radiology is specifically x-ray radiation and is fired through the body onto photographic plates.

Answer 4

No one mentioned radiology oncology (probably because you didn't ask), but it's also an important part of the use of radiation or radioactive materials in medicine.

While the implants would fall under the umbrella of nuclear medicine, I supose, irradiation from outside the body (radiation therapy) is quite fascinating.
.

Answer 5

Nuclear medicine is a branch of medicine and medical imaging that uses unsealed radioactive substances in diagnosis and therapy.
Radiology is the medical specialty directing medical imaging technologies to diagnose and sometimes treat diseases.
Please see the webpages for more details on Nuclear medicine and Radiology.