Simplicity or complexity of the radiopharmaceutical production process in the light of optimization of radiation protection of staff –99mtc vs.18f

Abstract

Background: A radiopharmaceutical is a combination of a non-radioactive compound with a radioactive isotope. Two isotopes: techne-tium-99m (99mTc) and fluorine-18 (18F) are worth mentioning on the rich list of isotopes which have found numerous medical applications. Their similarity is limited only to the diagnostic area of applicability. The type and the energy of emitted radiation, the half-life and, in particular, the production method demonstrate their diversity. The99mTc isotope is produced by a short-lived nuclide generator – mo-lybdenum-99 (99Mo)/99mTc, while18F is resulting from nuclear reaction occurring in a cyclotron. A relatively simple and easy handling of the99Mo/99mTc generator, compared to the necessary use a cyclotron, seems to favor the principle of optimizing the radiological protection of personnel. The thesis on the effect of automation of both the18F isotope production and the deoxyglucose labelling process on the optimization of radiological protection of workers compared to manual procedures during handling of radiopharmaceuticals labelled with99mTc need to be verified. Material and Methods: Measurements of personal dose equivalent Hp(0.07) were made in 5 nuclear medicine departments and 2 radiopharmaceuticals production centers. High-sensitivity thermoluminescent detectors (LiF: Mg, Cu, P – MCP-N) were used to determine the doses. Results: Among the activities performed by employees of both18F-fluorodeoxyglu-cose (18F-FDG) production centers and nuclear medicine departments, the manual quality control procedures and labelling of radiopharmaceuticals with99mTc isotope manifest the greatest contribution to the recorded Hp(0.07). Conclusions: The simplicity of obtaining the99mTc isotope as well as the complex, but fully automated production process of the18F-FDG radiopharmaceutical optimize the radiation protection of workers, excluding manual procedures labelling with99mTc or quality control of18F-FDG.