A nucleus that undergoes ‘beta minus decay’ emits an electron (β-). This forms the basis of many nuclear medicine therapies. A nucleus that undergoes ‘beta plus decay’ emits a positron (β+) which undergoes annihilation when striking an electron (e-) to emit gamma rays travelling in opposite directions. This forms the basis of PET imaging. Changes in atomic number (Z) and mass number (A) are depicted
49.2 Gamma decay
![image](/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/img_0106_49-2.jpg)
An excited nucleus that undergoes ‘gamma decay’ emits a gamma ray and therefore transitions to a more stable state. This forms the basis of most nuclear imaging techniques.
49.3 Gamma camera
![image](/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/img_0106_49-3.jpg)
Gamma rays emitted from the patient are collimated to ensure the rays arrive at the crystal in a straight line. The crystal then converts these into photons. The photons are multiplied and converted to electrons which are then converted into an image
Fundamentals of nuclear medicine
![](https://freepngimg.com/download/social_media/63059-media-icons-telegram-twitter-blog-computer-social.png)
Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel
![](https://clinicalpub.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/256.png)
Full access? Get Clinical Tree
![](https://videdental.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/appstore.png)
![](https://videdental.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/google-play.png)