Radio-pharmaceutical
Also called nuclear medicine. An imaging technique where radioactive substances (radio-isotopes/radiopharmaceuticals) are injected into a patient to trace disease processes. Sometimes the radioactive substance may concentrate directly in an organ/tissue, but in most cases it has to be attached to a carrier molecule with a "preference" for a certain tissue or disease process. The concentrated radioactivity may be detected by a so-called gamma camera as typical "hot spots".
GE Healthcare Glossary