Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology, Vol 26, Issue 4 269-273, Copyright © 1998 by Society of Nuclear Medicine
Modified preparation and rapid quality control test for technetium-99m-tetrofosmin
M Patel, A Owunwanne, M Tuli, K al-Za'abi, S al-Mohannadi, M Sa'ad, S Jahan, A Jacob and A al-Bunny
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Kuwait Cancer Control Center, Kuwait City.
OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to: modify the preparation of
99mTc-tetrofosmin by using twice the amount of 99mTcO4- recommended by the
manufacturer; evaluate the use of miniaturized rapid paper chromatography
(MRPC) for quality control (QC) testing; and determine the in vitro
stability of the modified preparation using MRPC. METHODS: Two preparations
of 99mTc-tetrofosmin were made: one with 4.4-8.8 GBq (120-240 mCi) and the
other with 13.9-17.6 GBq (380-480 mCi) 99mTcO4-, referred to as regular and
modified preparations, respectively. Routine QC tests were performed using
MRPC and instant thin-layer chromatography/silica-gel (ITLC/SG) systems.
The preparations were injected into 58 patients. Planar and SPECT images of
stress and rest studies were obtained. The technical quality of the SPECT
images was graded visually by four observers. Heart-to-lung and
heart-to-background ratios were calculated from the planar images. RESULTS:
The QC testing procedure took 4.18 +/- 0.15 min with MRPC and 54 +/- 5.3
min with ITLC/SG systems. The percent labeling efficiency, as determined by
both techniques, ranged from 95.6 +/- 1.6 to 97.2% +/- 0.8%. Both
preparations were stable up to 6 hr after reconstitution. There was no
difference between the cardiac-to-lung and cardiac-to-background ratios of
the two preparations. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that MRPC is a
faster and effective chromatographic technique for routine QC testing of
99mTc-tetrofosmin. Doubling the amount of 99mTcO4- used in preparing
99mTc-tetrofosmin did not affect its in vitro stability, its efficacious
use in patients or the technical quality of the images.
