Iran (IMNA) - In an exclusive interview with IMNA, Dr. Masoud Moslehi, a Nuclear Medicine specialist and Associate Professor at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, highlighted how recent progress in nuclear medicine is improving disease diagnosis across Iran. Nuclear medicine—a medical field that uses radioactive substances for diagnosing and treating disease—has been practiced in Iran for nearly four decades, expanding rapidly in hospitals nationwide.
He further elaborated that the application of radioactive materials in medicine dates back more than six decades, initially with the therapeutic use of radioactive iodine for thyroid cancer. In Iran, the adoption of advanced nuclear medicine techniques spans nearly four decades, and recent years have witnessed substantial growth and widespread implementation within the country’s healthcare facilities.
This Associate Professor at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, explained that nuclear medicine methodologies provide critical insights into the physiological functions of organs and associated pathological conditions, in contrast to conventional imaging modalities which predominantly assess anatomical structure and morphology.
Highlighting specific clinical applications, he indicated that bone scintigraphy remains a cornerstone nuclear medicine procedure for detecting skeletal pathologies, including metastases originating from malignancies, utilizing the radiotracer 99mTc-MDP.
He also noted the vital role of myocardial perfusion imaging using 99mTc-MIBI in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease, alongside thyroid scintigraphy with pertechnetate, which offers precise evaluation of thyroid disorders.
Dr. Moslehi emphasized that renal scintigraphy effectively identifies infectious, obstructive, congenital anomalies, and vesicoureteral reflux, whereas gastrointestinal nuclear scans employing radiotracers facilitate the diagnosis of hepatic, gallbladder diseases, and specific gastrointestinal hemorrhages.
He stressed that pulmonary scintigraphy is an invaluable diagnostic tool for detecting pulmonary embolism and thrombotic occlusions of the pulmonary arteries. Cerebral scintigraphy aids in the identification of certain seizure types and intracranial tumors, while lymphoscintigraphy plays an essential role in diagnosing lymphatic obstruction.
Moreover, Dr. Moslehi highlighted the indispensable role of nuclear medicine in detecting cancer recurrence and affirmed that, for some thyroid diseases, curative treatment is achievable only through radioactive iodine therapy.
He further stated that radioactive iodine remains the definitive treatment for hyperthyroidism unresponsive to conventional therapies and constitutes a fundamental component in the management of specific thyroid malignancies, including papillary and follicular carcinomas.
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