Evaluation of a Molybdenum Assay Canister

Abstract

The performance characteristics of a commercial molybdenum assay canister were evaluated. The geometrical variation of the technetium-99m (^99mTc) activity reading was studied as a function of the elution volume for the standard vials. It was found that the ^99mTc canister activity reading was ~ 5% lower than that of the standard method. This is due to attenuation by the canister wall. However, the effect of the geometric variation on the clinical dose preparation was found to be insignificant. The molybdenum-99 (⁹⁹Mo) contamination level was compared by two methods: (1) the commerical canister and (2) the standard assay kit. The ⁹⁹Mo contamination measurements with the canister indicated consistently lower readings than those with the standard ⁹⁹Mo assay kit. We conclude that the canister may be used in the clinical settings. However, the user must be aware of the problems and the limitations associated with this canister.