TECHNETIUM IN NUCLEAR-MEDICINE

The introduction of the technetium generator and the development of th e Anger camera in the early 1960s formed the basis of modern clinical nuclear medicine. Chosen originally purely for its physical decay char acteristics, the radionuclide Tc-99m has since become the backbone of routine imaging. In the United States, for example, more than 85% of a ll studies involve the use in one form or another of this short-lived gamma emitter. Since technetium is an artificial element, which occurs on earth only by virtue of the fission process, this intense medical use of the material seems an oddity. In fact, thanks to the work of a small number of early pioneers, the choice turns out to be eminently l ogical. This short article outlines some of the history associated wit h this radionuclide and its radiopharmaceuticals.