Radiation Detection and Measurement

To plan and to practice radiation safety, NMTs and NMT students must familiarize themselves with three kinds of instrumentation: (a) nonimaging instruments: welltype scintillation counters, thyroid uptake systems, and dose calibrators, (b) imaging instrumentation: gamma cameras, SPECT cameras, and PET/CT scanners, and (c) survey instruments to monitor and maintain a safe radiation level in the NM department: GM (Geiger-Muller) survey meters, room alarm monitors, and personal alarm monitors; and ionization chambers (cutie pies, dose calibrators, pocket dosimeters). In this chapter, the basic principles of design and operation of those instruments are discussed briefly. For a more profound study of the engineering and operation of NM equipment, readers are referred to the specialized literature.