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A Simple and Effective Technique to Reduce Staff Exposure During the Preparation of Radiopharmaceuticals

¹RAH Radiopharmacy, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia;
²Nuclear Medicine Department, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

ABSTRACT

Objective:In the preparation of radiopharmaceuticals, staff receive considerable radiation exposure to the hands during withdrawal of activity from the elution vial, from a combination of the syringe and elution vial activities. In an attempt to reduce the radiation burden to the hands, a simple technique was developed that utilizes a modified lead pot lid and a syringe bearing a long needle with a sterile needle guide.

Methods:An elution vial in a lead pot with an attached syringe was secured at an angle of 45°, simulating the action of withdrawing ^99mTc-pertechnetate from the elution vial. The ^99mTc activity ratio of vial to syringe was 20:1. A gamma- camera detector without collimator was positioned at the syringe plunger and count profiles were obtained after 10 min of data acquisition. The experiment was repeated using the same set-up with (a) the modified lid on the lead pot and (b) a cold syringe to determine the contribution of the radioactive syringe to the count profile. Each experiment was repeated at the vertical position, simulating the normal action of redispensing ^99mTc activity into the elution vial.

Results:The modified lid reduced exposure from the elution vial, with a count reduction of >98% for both orientations. The contributions of vial radioactivity to the total count profile were 76% and 84% for vertical and 45° orientations, respectively. The contributions of syringe activity were 24% and 16% for vertical and 45° orientations, respectively.

Conclusion:A reduction in the photon flux to the hands of up to 84% (with an associated reduction in hand dose) can be achieved by withdrawing activity through a modified lid on the lead pot housing the elution vial, without significantly altering normal work practices.

Key Words: radiopharmaceutical procedures; staff radiation exposure; radiation protection

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