Nuclear medicine is an ever changing subject, and the emphasis and utility of one type of study is often abruptly supplanted by another. In this unstable environment, there is a set of circumstances that offers a basic unifying structure to the activities encountered in nuclear medicine. The pivotal importance of radio pharmaceuticals in these activities makes a thorough understanding of them paramount for all who would prescribe, dispense, or in any way utilize such materials. In this volume, the author has distilled an awesome body of literature on nuclear pharmacy into a concise and readily understandable textbook. It is written from the viewpoint of one who not only has broad experience and knowledge in nuclear pharmacy, who daily guides and instructs a variety of students in the discipline, but who also directs a clinical nuclear medicine radiopharmacy program. In this book he has avoided the esoteric and maintained an emphasis on the practical. The approach is not encyclopedic in nature, as adequate references refer the more interested reader to appropriate sources of detailed information, but one which ensures that the students will be able to absorb the essentials of nuclear pharmacy and practice it effectively with a broad understanding of the subject. At the end of each chapter a set of questions provokes the reader to assess the sufficiency of the knowledge gained.

1 The Atom.- Chanter 2 Radioactive Decay.- 3 Production of Radionuclides.- 4 Radionuclide Generators.- 5 Radiopharmaceuticals.- 6 Radiolabeling of Compounds.- 7 Characteristics of Specific Radiopharmaceuticals.- 8 Quality Control of Radiopharmaceuticals.- 9 Radiopharmacy.- 10 Radiation Dosimetry, Safety, and Regulations.- 11 In Vitro Tests.- 12 Radiopharmacology in Nuclear Medicine.- Appendix A Abbreviations Used in Text.- Appendix B Terms Used in Text.- Appendix C Units and Constants.- Appendix F Generic Names, Brand Names, and Suppliers of Kits.- Appendix G Answers to Questions.