Thyroid scintigraphy

Scintigraphy is an imaging technique that tracks the distribution of radioactive elements that have been introduced in minute quantities.
For the thyroid, which is an endocrine gland situated at the base of the neck, Iodine 123 is used, which is a radioactive isotope of Iodine. Sometimes, an isotope of Technetium might be preferred. The scintigraphic image tells us about the morphology of the gland, but also, most importantly, about its physiological activity.