What is Thallium 201 used for in medicine?
Thallous chloride Tl 201 injection is used in adults to help diagnose heart disease (eg, coronary artery disease, heart attack). It is used in certain procedures called planar scintigraphy or single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).
What happens when Thallium 201 enters the body?
Abstract. The radioactive isotope thallium 201 behaves physiologically as a potassium analog, and when injected intravenously accumulates rapidly within the cells of many organs. Uptake of the isotope reflects both regional perfusion and sodium-potassium pump activity.
Is Thallium 201 a radioactive tracer?
Radiotracers. Thallium-201 (201Tl) is the conventional perfusion tracer [4]. Tl behaves like a potassium analog and enters the myocytes through Na+/K+ ATPase channels. Tl is injected intravenously at peak exercise or during pharmacological stress and imaging is started soon after completion of stress.
What radiation does Thallium 201?
Tl-201 emits emitting mainly X-rays of energy 67–82 keV (88% abundance) and gamma photons of 135 and 167 keV (12% abundance). X or gamma rays could not be visible.
Where does Thallium-201 come from?
Thallium-201 (Th-201) is a radiopharmaceutical used for scintigraphy, primarily of the myocardium. The element thallium is treated by the body as an analog of potassium; it is produced in a cyclotron by bombarding thallium-203 with protons.
What is thallium scan used for?
A thallium (or cardiolite) scan uses a radioactive tracer to see how much blood is reaching different parts of your heart. These tests are the more common forms of tests called nuclear medicine scans. You may also hear them called: thallium myocardial imaging.
Is Thallium-201 naturally occurring?
Thallium is a chemical element with the symbol Tl and atomic number 81. It is a gray post-transition metal that is not found free in nature.
Does the human body use thallium?
It does not have a known biological use and does not appear to be an essential element for life. It has been considered one of the most toxic heavy metals. Occasionally, there are reports on thallium poisoning as results of suicide or murder attempt or accident.
Where is Thallium-201 found?
Sources of thallium Thallium is found as a mineral in the elements crooksite, lorandite and hutchinsonite. It’s also found as a trace element in iron pyrite and obtained from this ore by roasting the mineral. Small amounts of thallium are found in manganese nodules on the ocean floor.
When was thallium banned?
Thallium was also widely used as a rodenticide. Its use as a household rodenticide was banned in the United States in 1965 after multiple unintentional poisonings.
What is a thallium-201 stress test?
The thallium stress test is an imaging study that shows your doctor how well blood flows to your heart. It measures your blood flow during rest and after exercise. The thallium stress test is also called a nuclear stress test, a treadmill test, a stress perfusion test, or a cardiac SPECT.
What can thallium be used for?
Thallium is a heavy metal used in the manufacture of electronic components, optical lenses, semiconductor materials, alloys, gamma radiation detection equipment, imitation jewelry, artist’s paints, low temperature thermometers, and green fireworks.
What is the most common use for thallium?
Most thallium is used by the electronics industry in photoelectric cells. Thallium oxide is used to produce special glass with a high index of refraction, and also low melting glass that becomes fluid at about 125K. An alloy of mercury containing 8% thallium has a melting point 20°C lower than mercury alone.
Is thallium-201 toxic?
The radioisotope thallium-201 (as the soluble chloride TlCl) is used in small amounts as an agent in a nuclear medicine scan, during one type of nuclear cardiac stress test. Soluble thallium salts (many of which are nearly tasteless) are highly toxic, and they were historically used in rat poisons and insecticides.
What is thallium scan for?
Can thallium-201 be used for medical use?
Thallium-201 for medical use. I J Nucl Med. 1975 Feb;16 (2):151-5. Thallium-201 merits evaluation for myocardial visualization, kidney studies, and tumor diagnosis because of its physical and biologic properties. A method is described for preparation of this radiopharmaceutical for human use.
What is thallous chloride TL 201 used to treat?
This medicine shows how much blood is getting to your heart muscle when you are resting or exercising (stressed). Thallous chloride Tl 201 belongs to the group of medicines called radiopharmaceuticals (radioactive agents). This medicine is also used to help diagnose parathyroid problems.
Is thallium useful in the diagnosis of thyroid carcinoma?
Thallium ( 201 Tl) has been useful in localizing metastases in selected patients (reviewed by Cavalieri 12 and Sisson 19 ). However, 201 Tl is concentrated by a variety of benign and malignant lesions other than thyroid carcinoma.
Is thallium-201 comparable to technetium-99m-sestamibi for estimating cardiac function?
Wu MC, Tsai CT, Lin HC, Sun FJ, Lin KH. Thallium-201 is comparable to technetium-99m-sestamibi for estimating cardiac function in patients with abnormal myocardial perfusion imaging. Kaohsiung J Med Sci. 2015 Nov;31(11):562-7.
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