Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Iodine-123
Introduction
Iodine-123 is a radioactive isotope of iodine often used in whole-body nuclear scanning. Its half-life is 13.13 hours; the decay emits gamma radiation.
Medical application
Typically iodine-123 is injected or prescribed by pill; the patient is later imaged by a nuclear camera. Areas where the radioactive iodine (called radio-iodine) concentrates will show up on the nuclear camera.
Iodine-123 is most commonly used to detect cancers of the thyroid, as this is the organ most receptive to forms of iodine. Once the thyroid has absorbed the radio-iodine, any cancer present will have a differing uptake of radio-iodine than the natural, surrounding tissue. This difference can be analyzed by a doctor to determine whether there exists a possibility for thyroid cancer. A tissue biopsy may also be performed to further determine whether it is cancerous or not, and whether it is malignant or benign. Template:WikiDoc Sources