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DNB Nuclear Medicine Previous Year Questions

These are the DNB Nuclear Medicine theory questions asked by NBEMS in the December 2025 and June 2025 exams, listed paper by paper as they appeared. The Prep DNB app has all 24 DNB sessions from December 2014 to December 2025 — 951 questions in total — with repeat-question tracking, examiner keywords and MCQs.

Jump to: December 2025 · June 2025 · Important topics · Older papers

DNB Nuclear Medicine December 2025 Question Paper

Paper 1

  1. Briefly describe the working principle of ionisation chamber with a diagram. Enumerate applications of ionisation chamber in clinical practice. [4+6]
  2. Define and differentiate the characteristics between LSO, BGO, and LYSO crystals used in PET scanners. [10]
  3. Describe briefly the concept and working principles of attenuation correction in hybrid imaging systems (SPECT/CT and PET/CT). [5+5]
  4. Enumerate the various collimator types used in gamma cameras with diagram & working principles and their applications in clinical nuclear medicine. [6+4]
  5. a) Pulse height analyzer. [5] b) Dead time and its correction. [5]
  6. Explain the working principle, design and advantages of solid-state detectors over conventional systems and their clinical applications. [10]
  7. Define HVL and TVL along with their relations. Discuss clinical applications of HVL and TVL. [5+5]
  8. a) Pair production and its clinical applications in nuclear medicine. [5] b) Cerenkov radiation and its clinical applications in nuclear medicine. [5]
  9. Enumerate and discuss the quality control parameters in PET/CT. [10]
  10. Write short notes on the following and how they are used in nuclear medicine data interpretation: a) ROC analysis. [5] b) ANOVA. [5]

Paper 2

  1. Enumerate the cyclotron-produced radionuclides and their production. Describe any one in detail along with its potential clinical applications. [6+4]
  2. Explain the mechanism of uptake and clinical uses of PSMA-based radiopharmaceuticals. Enumerate the different PSMA radioligands employed in nuclear medicine. [6+4]
  3. Compare the production, properties and clinical use of 68Ga and 64Cu radiopharmaceuticals. [5+5]
  4. a) Radiopharmaceuticals for PET myocardial perfusion imaging. [5] b) RBC labeling techniques, their pros and cons. [5]
  5. Discuss the principle, production, and uses of therapeutic radionuclides: a) Lu-177. [5] b) Ac-225. [5]
  6. a) I-124. [5] b) Zr-89. [5]
  7. Outline sterility, apyrogenicity and radiochemical purity testing methods in hospital radiopharmacy. [10]
  8. Describe the generator systems used in nuclear medicine (99Mo/99mTc and Ge-68/Ga-68). [10]
  9. Discuss the future trends in Theranostic radiopharmaceuticals with examples. [10]
  10. Describe the radiopharmaceuticals used for myocardial viability. [10]

Paper 3

  1. Enumerate tracers used for (a) hypoxia and (b) angiogenesis imaging, with their respective clinical applications. [5+5]
  2. Enumerate the patient preparation, procedure and radiopharmaceuticals used for cardiac infection/ inflammation imaging. [10]
  3. Explain nuclear medicine methods in evaluation of renal obstruction and GFR estimation. [10]
  4. a) Radioimmunoassay and IRMA. [5] b) Thyroid cancer genomics. [5]
  5. Discuss nuclear medicine evaluation in epilepsy and Parkinsons disease. [5+5]
  6. Define RR-DTC and TENIS. Enumerate the clinical strategies and algorithm for diagnostic imaging and therapies in RR-DTC. [10]
  7. Role of nuclear medicine in evaluation of: a) Hypertension. [5] b) Cardiac prosthesis infection imaging. [5]
  8. Compare RECIST, PERCIST, and iRECIST criteria for therapy response evaluation. [10]
  9. PET/CT in lymphoma - staging, response and prognostic evaluation. [10]
  10. Discuss Peptide Receptor Radionuclide therapy (PRRT): a) Principles and procedure. [5] b) Indications. [2] c) Side-effects and their management. [3]

Paper 4

  1. a) PET/CT guided biopsy: patient preparation, indications, procedure, advantages over USG/CT guided biopsy and possible complications. [5] b) Pentixfor PET imaging: current status. [5]
  2. a) 203-Pb/212-Pb and 211At based Theranostic applications. [5] b) TIRADS and its clinical application. [5]
  3. a) Radioactive waste disposal categories and methods [5] b) Duties of RSO in Nuclear Medicine departments. [5]
  4. a) Artificial intelligence and machine learning in nuclear medicine imaging. [5] b) TOF & Digital PET. [5]
  5. Briefly elaborate on the principles and procedure of dosimetry in nuclear medicine radionuclide therapy with focus on patient-specific dose calculation in nuclear medicine. [10]
  6. a) Regulatory guidelines for transportation of radioactive materials in India. [5] b) Radioactive spillage and its management in nuclear medicine department. [5]
  7. Compare and contrast the TheraP and VISION trials in prostate cancer theranostics with their important inferences. [10]
  8. Discuss PET/MRI and Total-body PET/CT: principles, benefits and challenges. [5+5]
  9. a) Radiobiological contrasting points between Alpha, Beta and Auger electrons as therapeutic agents. [5] b) Recent ATA guidelines for thyroid cancer, salient changes between 2015 and 2025 ATA guidelines. [5]
  10. a) F-18 DOPA, and its clinical applications. [5] b) Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma imaging with nuclear medicine: recommendations for personalized imaging in different subsets. [5]

DNB Nuclear Medicine June 2025 Question Paper

Paper 1

  1. a) Describe physical half life, biological half life and effective half life and their clinical implications. [5] b) Segmental anatomy of liver with diagram. [5]
  2. a) Define an error in counting statistics. [2] b) Enumerate the sources of error in a counting system. [3] c) What are different types of errors encountered in counting radioactivity. Define them with examples. [5]
  3. a) Bremsstrahlung. [4] b) Neutron Activation Analysis. [6]
  4. What is radiation detector? Enumerate different types of detectors used in Nuclear medicine. Explain any one of them in detail with working principle, design and clinical applications. [2+3+5]
  5. a) Decay scheme of I-131. [5] b) Isomeric Transition. [5]
  6. a) Describe various quality control parameters for well counter. [5] b) Chi-square test. [5]
  7. a) What are the core elements of a clinical trial? [5] b) Enumerate and define different types of blinding in a clinical trial. [5]
  8. a) GFR and various methods of its calculation. [5] b) Describe MIRD in detail. [5]
  9. a) Statistical parametric mapping (SPM)'. [5] b) Transient and secular equilibrium. [5]
  10. a) Pair production and photo disintegration. [4] b) Iterative reconstruction and its advantages over filtered back projection. [6]

Paper 2

  1. a) Describe the principle of operation and components of a dose calibrator with an illustrated diagram. [5] b) Attenuation correction in PET. [5]
  2. a) Enumerate various Ga-68 radiotracers and their clinical applications. [5] b) Enumerate the SPECT radiopharmaceuticals requiring heating/boiling in their preparation and elaborate on one of them. [5]
  3. a) Characteristics of radionuclides produced from nuclear reactor. [5] b) CXCR4 receptor imaging. [5]
  4. a) List out ultrashort lived PET radiopharmaceutical and their clinical applications. [5] b) 18 Fluoro-3,4 dihydroxyphenylalanine. [5]
  5. Describe various SPECT and PET radiotracers used in the diagnosis and therapy of NETs; their advantages and demerits. [10]
  6. a) Beta amyloid imaging agents used in PET and their clinical applications. [6] b) Zirconium-89 in nuclear medicine. [4]
  7. Advantages and disadvantages of various types of PET-MRI configurations available for imaging. Discus the components and design of latest version used with diagram. [4+6]
  8. a) QC tests used in/after F-18 FDG synthesis. [5] b) PET myocardial perfusion tracers. [5]
  9. a) Enumerate the crystals used in PET and their salient characteristics. [5] b) Advantages & disadvantages of CZT and its clinical application. [5]
  10. a) Artefacts in PET-CT. [5] b) Role of preamplifier and amplifier in gamma camera. [5]

Paper 3

  1. a) Diuretic Renogram and various protocols with their relevant clinical applications. [5] b) DRCG vs MCUG. [5]
  2. a) PET/CT in IG4 diseases. [5] b) Dacryoscintigraphy. [5]
  3. a) Role of bone scan in a child with painful limp. [5] b) SPECT-CT in sports injuries. [5]
  4. a) Causes of hypertension in young adult. [2] b) Role of in the nuclear medicine in the investigation of young hypertensive. [8]
  5. Enumerate various complications encountered in high dose I-131 MIBG therapy patients during admission and after discharge. Mention briefly about the management of each of them. [10]
  6. Describe PET/CT in breast cancer. How to incorporate it in treatment algorithm in breast cancer? [10]
  7. a) Role of myocardial perfusion imaging in acute coronary syndrome. [5] b) Preparation and protocols in PET myocardial viability imaging. [5]
  8. a) Radionuclide gastric emptying studies. [5] b) Role of NM techniques in evaluation of liver transplant. [5]
  9. a) PET-CT in thrombus Imaging. [5] b) Various causes of GB dyskinesia and role of nuclear medicine in evaluation. [5]
  10. a) Advantages and disadvantages of SPECT-CT in PTE over CT pulmonary angiogram. [5] b) PET-CT in carcinoma of unknown primary. [5]

Paper 4

  1. a) How to treat a child of thyroid cancer with diffuse pulmonary metastases and special consideration, if any? [5] b) Rules and recommendations in performing a NM procedure or therapy in a lactating mother. [5]
  2. a) What is theranostic? Describe various theranostic pair used in nuclear medicine. [5] b) Classify the work places in nuclear medicine facility and explain briefly about work place monitoring. [5]
  3. Design a nuclear medicine facility having SPECT and PET facility with an illustrated diagram. Enumerate the structural details of construction as per AERB guidelines. [10]
  4. a) PET/CT imaging in hyperparathyroidism. [5] b) Genetic effects of radiation. [5]
  5. a) Targeted alpha therapy. [5] b) TENIS and its management as per latest ATA guidelines. [5]
  6. a) Recent clinical implications of 68 Ga FAPI in imaging and therapy. [5] b) Nuclear cardiology techniques in cardiac arrythmias. [5]
  7. Discuss the role of PET/CT in infections and inflammations. [10]
  8. a) PET-NET score. [5] b) Axillary reverse mapping. [5]
  9. a) Role of PET-CT in myositis. [5] b) PIRADS. [5]
  10. Describe radionuclides therapy using various radiopharmaceuticals in prostate cancer. [10]

High-Yield DNB Nuclear Medicine Topics

A selection of 24 of the 32 important topics curated in the app from repeated DNB Nuclear Medicine questions.

Physics and instrumentation — foundation

  • Radioactive decay: half-life (physical, biological, effective), units (Bq, Ci), decay schemes (Tc-99m, I-131, F-18, Ga-68, Lu-177)
  • Radiation interactions: photoelectric effect, Compton scatter, pair production, attenuation
  • Radionuclide production: reactor (Mo-99) vs cyclotron (F-18, Ga-68); generators (Tc-99m, Ga-68)

Radiopharmacy and safety

  • Radiopharmaceutical ideal properties and quality control (radionuclidic/radiochemical purity)
  • Tc-99m agents: MDP (bone), DTPA/MAG3 (renal), MIBI (cardiac), HMPAO (brain), pertechnetate
  • F-18 FDG: production, indications, false positives/negatives; Ga-68 DOTATATE/PSMA; I-131/I-123

Cardiac nuclear medicine — high yield

  • Myocardial perfusion SPECT/PET: tracers, stress protocols (exercise, adenosine, regadenoson)
  • Myocardial viability: FDG PET, hibernating myocardium
  • Cardiac amyloidosis (DPD/PYP scan); cardiac sarcoidosis FDG protocol

Oncology — highest clinical yield

  • FDG PET/CT: oncologic indications, staging, response assessment (PERCIST, Deauville for lymphoma)
  • Prostate cancer: Ga-68/F-18 PSMA PET; neuroendocrine tumours: Ga-68 DOTATATE
  • Lung, breast, colorectal, head and neck cancer PET applications

Endocrine and renal

  • Thyroid scintigraphy and I-131 therapy for Graves' and differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC ablation)
  • RAI-refractory DTC and TKI therapy; parathyroid MIBI/choline imaging
  • Renal scintigraphy: DTPA/MAG3, GFR calculation (Gates method), diuretic renography, transplant evaluation

Other organ systems

  • Ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) scan for PE; hepatobiliary (HIDA) scan
  • Brain FDG PET in dementia; epilepsy ictal SPECT; DAT scan for Parkinsonism
  • Infection/inflammation imaging: labelled WBC, FDG, FAPI

Radionuclide therapy (theranostics)

  • PRRT with Lu-177 DOTATATE (NETTER-1); Lu-177 PSMA (VISION trial) for prostate cancer
  • I-131 MIBG for neuroblastoma/pheochromocytoma; Ra-223 for bone metastases
  • SIRT (Y-90 microspheres) for HCC; radioiodine and alpha therapy (Ac-225) overview

Hybrid imaging and advances

  • PET/CT and PET/MRI: principles, attenuation correction challenges
  • Theranostics concept; total body PET; AI in nuclear medicine
  • Research methodology: ROC analysis, sensitivity/specificity in NM trials

Older DNB Nuclear Medicine Question Papers

The remaining 22 papers are available in the Prep DNB app, organized paper-wise with repeat-question tracking.

Get all 24 papers in the app

Previous Year Questions for Other DNB Subjects