What do Physicists do in… “ REAL LIFE ”

What do Physicists do in… “REAL LIFE” Many work with doctors in the field of Medicine

Doctors often need to look inside our bodies without cutting them open…. Some you may have heard of… X-rays…..CT scans…..MRIscans And new ones you may not have heard of yet…. PET scans…..MEG "Medical Physicists" are essential in the development of many scanning technologies

Here is your chance to… • Find out the basics of how these scans work • See how important physics is to modern medicine.

X-rays OrdinaryLight • Very little ordinary light can pass through skin. It’s either absorbed at the surface or reflected back….. • To “see” inside we need a kind of “light” with more energy… X rays Skin

Taking “X rays” The patient is placed in front of a source of X RAYS X ray Tube A photo graphic plate is placed on the other side of the patient Most of the X rays pass through the patient’s body…….

X-rays are absorbed by bone but can pass through skin and soft tissue Photographic plate bone X rays that are absorbed in the photographic plate cause chemical changes. These show as darkened areas when the plate is developed. Soft tissue

X-rays are also partly absorbed by some tissues in the body this creates a more subtle picture. Photographic plate bone Soft tissue

What part of the body do these X Rays show? A knee Answer:

Advantages of Basic X ray Imaging • X rays are easy to produce • X ray machines are relatively cheap • In controlled doses X ray images are safe to the patient

Disadvantages of X ray Imaging • In large doses X rays can be harmful to health • Images are only “shadow prints” in one “plane”…..no 3D information • Imaging of soft tissues and organs is not always very detailed.

True or False Challenge… • X rays are made of the same “stuff” as visible light. They are both forms of “electromagnetic radiation”. • X rays were discovered completely by accident during a physics experiment carried out in 1965. • X rays can damage healthy tissues.

CT Scans CT or “CAT” scans take X ray imaging to “C” stands for “Computed” “T” stands for “ Tomography” another level….

In short…. CT scanners are complex X ray machines attached to very clever computers using complicated mathematics to build up images of our insides.

The patient is placed on a bed The scanner (X ray machine) is the shape of a ring The patient is slowly moved through the ring as the scan takes place…

X ray tube X Rays are produced in an X ray tube, pass through the patient and are detected by the detector Looking end on…. Patient The scanner rotates the X ray tube and detector so the patient is scanned from all angles X ray detector

There are no photographic plates in CT scanners. All images are created by computers using the information they receive from the x-ray detector The image produced is like a “slice” through the body. ribs spine

Advantages of CT scans • Images are like “slices” • Compared other scanners (MRI and PET) CT machines are quite cheap.

Disadvantages of CT • Still use X rays that can damage healthy tissues (in large doses). • Imaging of soft tissues is improved but still not always as detailed as doctors require.

True or False Challenge… • CT stands for Complex Tomography. • CT scans make images of your insides in slices. Computers can now take these slices and make a 3D picture of your insides. • With CT scans the patient receives a lower dose of x rays than with a standard X ray machine.

MRI What do the letters stand for? M……….. Magnetic R………… Resonance I…………. Imaging MRI scanners do not use X rays.

MRI Explained... Your science studies have shown you that your body is made up of living cells… Which are made up of molecules … Which are made up of atoms

The simplest atom is… 1 electron Hydrogen 1 proton It’s nucleus contains just one proton

In the 1940’s physicists discovered that the nuclei of some atoms have a property called “SPIN”… ….Like a wobbling spinning top. This causes the nucleus act like a tiny magnet…. N S

After many years of investigation physicists found they could affect the tiny nuclear magnets of hydrogen atoms using very strong magnets and radio waves… This high energy situation cannot be sustained for long. Many will “flip” back…. ….watch how the magnetic field affects the tiny nuclear magnets When this happens energy is released as a tiny pulse of radio waves !!! Bring in the magnets…. S N A pulse of radio waves can cause some of the nuclear magnets absorb energy and “flip” Note: The nuclear magnets can line up in two possible directions

This tiny pulse of radio waves that can be detected and analysed. The timing, and the energy of these signals, reveals information about the Hydrogen atoms and what types of molecules they are attached to.

So what has all this got to do with looking inside your body? • What is your body mostly made of? • What is the chemical name of water? H2O Hydrogen in the most abundant element in your body (approx 63% of all the atoms are H) Water

Organic molecules that make up tissues likeFATMUSCLETENDONS etc. contain a large number of Hydrogen atoms

It took physicists over 40 years to turn their discovery of nuclear magnets into images of the human body.But the results are amazing… All this from manipulating the magnetic properties of hydrogen nuclei !

Using an MRI Scanner… The patient is placed on a bed and then moved into a large hollow tube. The tube contains a very powerful magnet….

Superconducting Most MRI scanners use magnets An electric current passes through a massive coil made of a special “superconducting” material This creates a very strong magnet (x 20000 times stronger than earths magnetic field) This may seem like a really easy way to create a strong magnet but there is a catch……

Superconducting materials only work correctly when they are really cold….. But not just cold like freezer temperatures…. Can you guess how cold? -269 That’s colder than on the surface of Pluto! degrees Celsius

To achieve these temperatures the superconducting coils need to sit in a container filled with… Liquid Helium Thankfully the patient is insulated from this extremely low temperature whilst inside the magnet.

The magnet used is incredibly strong! • Stand 1m away with a large spanner in your hand…. you would not be able to hold on to it. • Patients have to remove all metallic objects and credit cards… • Patients may have metal objects inside their bodies…

Patients may be asked the following questions: • Have you ever worked in the army or metal working industry? Metal fragments (especially in the eye) could become dislodged • Do you have a pacemaker? If yes you cannot have an MRI scan • Do you have any dental implants Some could become magnetised • Do you have any metal pins or staples in your body? Some could become magnetised and need to be checked that they will hold in place during the scan

With the patient safety check complete the scan can begin… The part of the body to be scanned is placed in the centre of the primary magnet X The magnet field produced has to be very steady and strong This field causes the Hydrogen nuclei in the patients body to line up with the field

Three further coils are embedded into the tube….GRADIENT MAGNETS… these are used to fine tune the magnetic field so particular body parts and tissue types can be focused on. The patient will know when these magnets are switched on…they can make a loud banging noise. X More coils provide a pulse of radio waves that cause some of the “nuclear magnets” to flip…. The machine waits and records any radio signals that are then emitted by the patients body…..

This information is sent to a computer which uses it to build up an image ….

CT compared to MRI • CT scanners scan a patient in “slices” but the angle of the slice depends on how the patient is positioned in the machine. • MRI scanners scan a whole section of the body then the doctor can request to view a slice of the patient at any angle… • MRI scans can reveal a lot more detail.

View an MRI scan from any angle..

Are MRI Scans Safe? • Research has failed to show up any risk to health • Patients do not feel a thing….not even a tingle! • Scans typically take 30 mins+ • Staying still and putting up with clanging noises are the only discomforts a patient has to suffer! a further group of people may find it impossible to have an MRI scan….! BUT

What is the name of the condition that causes a fear of… “Claustrophobia” confined spaces Many claustrophobics cannot have MRI scans

True or False Challenge? • It is dangerous for a patient to stay in an MRI scanner for too long 8. Superconducting magnets are cheap to make and use. 9. Claustrophobics are not allowed to have CT scans

Introductions to PET(positron emission tomography) “snapshot” images are useful but doctors sometimes need “real time” pictures of how parts of your body are functioning… e.g. How your heart is functioning. Moving images can be achieved with MRI but PET scanning can give excellent results…

PET SCANNERS LOOK LIKE CT SCANNERS… The key differences: -NO X RAY TUBE. -The ring is surrounded by “Gamma Ray” detectors

What are “gamma rays” and “positrons” ? A little detour….

You will have heard of… Electrons Protons Neutrons These are the building blocks of atoms. Physicists have discovered a whole host of other particles that exist !!! AND ASWELL: Every particle has it’s own ANTI PARTICLE… Its…. equivalent Antimatter

The antiparticle of the electron is called a… POSITRON When an electron and a positron meet they annihilate… The energy released creates 2 gamma rays

PET scan patients are injected with a specially created substance called a “RADIOTRACER”…. Usually a “Radioactive” type of glucose. The radiotracer is a source of positrons which leads to the production of gamma rays… INSIDE THE PATIENTS BODY! These pass through the patients body and are picked up by the scanner.

The radio tracer produces positrons which annihilate with electrons in the patients body producing pairs of gamma rays. Looking at the scanner: end on…. Patient The energy and position of all the gamma rays are recorded and turned into an image by a computer. Ring of gamma ray detectors

The radiotracer concentrates itself in certain tissue types… This glucose type radiotracer has concentrated itself in high glucose using cells like the brain, kidneys and cancer cells.

What do Physicists do in… “ REAL LIFE ”