Nuclear medicine: radiopharmaceutical: practice question

A Radiology question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Radiology · Nuclear medicine: radiopharmaceutical

Sample item

Which is the most commonly used radionuclide in diagnostic nuclear medicine, produced from a molybdenum-99 generator?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

B. Technetium-99m

Tc-99m emits a 140 keV gamma photon, has a half-life of 6 hours and is eluted from a Mo-99 generator, which makes it ideal for imaging. F-18 is a PET tracer made in a cyclotron. Gallium and thallium are cyclotron-produced.

Option by option

  • A. Gallium-67

    Ga-67 is cyclotron produced.

  • B. Technetium-99m (correct)

    Correct. Tc-99m is the workhorse of nuclear imaging.

  • C. Fluorine-18

    F-18 is cyclotron produced and used for PET.

  • D. Thallium-201

    Tl-201 is cyclotron produced.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Radiology question

What is the answer to this Radiology question?

The best answer is B, Technetium-99m. Tc-99m emits a 140 keV gamma photon, has a half-life of 6 hours and is eluted from a Mo-99 generator, which makes it ideal for imaging.

Why is "Gallium-67" not the answer?

Ga-67 is cyclotron produced.

Why is "Fluorine-18" not the answer?

F-18 is cyclotron produced and used for PET.

Why is "Thallium-201" not the answer?

Tl-201 is cyclotron produced.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Nuclear medicine: radiopharmaceutical in Radiology. F-18 is a PET tracer made in a cyclotron. Gallium and thallium are cyclotron-produced.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Nuclear medicine: radiopharmaceutical?

Learn signs with the image, and the disease they point to. Then use the flashcards and the other Radiology questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.