TS ISO 12749-6

TS ISO 12749-6 is the vocabulary standard that brings together the concepts used in nuclear medicine under a common technical language. As part of the Nuclear energy, nuclear technologies, and radiological protection series, it clarifies frequently used terms in diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine and supports consistent communication across the field.

The content covered by this document consists of the minimum essential information for each nuclear medicine concept represented by a single term: the term itself, its definition, notes to entry and examples. This helps preserve the core meaning of each concept and makes it easier to align understanding from clinical, radiopharmacy and medical physics perspectives.

Why terminology matters in nuclear medicine

Nuclear medicine is a multidisciplinary specialty that uses radioactive substances for diagnostic imaging and therapy. When the same concept is interpreted differently by different professionals, communication can become inconsistent and ambiguous. Vocabulary standards reduce that risk by standardizing the language used in training, reporting, research and everyday professional exchange.

Technical context provided by this part

• It collects frequently used concepts in diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine.
• It provides the minimum necessary terminology information for each concept.
• It supports a shared understanding from medical, radiopharmacy and medical physics viewpoints.
• It includes terms, definitions, notes to entry and examples for individual concepts.
• It is intended to facilitate communication and promote common understanding.

In general technical terms, a vocabulary standard defines what the concepts mean rather than prescribing how procedures must be carried out. For that reason, TS ISO 12749-6 should be understood primarily as a reference source for terminology in nuclear medicine, not as a procedural standard for clinical practice.

This part also makes the link between nuclear medicine and radiological protection more transparent at the terminology level. Concepts related to imaging agents, therapeutic applications, patient management and measurement can therefore be expressed with consistent and clearly defined terms.