The only other obstacle to the wider use of PET-CT is the difficulty and cost of producing and transporting the radiopharmaceuticals used for PET imaging, which are usually extremely short-lived (for instance, the half life of radioactive Fluorine-18 (18F) used to trace glucose metabolism (using fluorodeoxyglucose, FDG) is two hours only.
Nuclear Radiologist: Average Salary: $180,000. Nuclear radiology is a radiology field that uses radioactive material in imaging, diagnosis and treatment. PET scans, CT scans and gamma imaging are the most commonly used equipment in this field.
In 2011, radiologic technologists in Tennessee earned an average salary of $48,930 per year. This figure is somewhat below the national average salary in this field of $54,340 per year.However, it is comfortably above the average annual household income in Tennessee of $43,989. Tennessee also enjoys and overall cost of living index that is well below the average for the entire US.his figure is somewhat below the national average salary in this field of $54,340 per year. However, it is comfortably above the average annual household income in Tennessee of $43,989. Tennessee also enjoys and overall cost of living index that is well below the average for the entire US.