PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - David L Francia
AU  - Kathy P Willowson
AU  - Dale L. Bailey
TI  - AN UNUSUAL CAUSE OF GAMMA CAMERA CONTAMINATION
AID  - 10.2967/jnmt.122.264172
DP  - 2022 Jun 01
TA  - Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
PG  - jnmt.122.264172
4099  - http://tech.snmjournals.org/content/early/2022/06/14/jnmt.122.264172.short
4100  - http://tech.snmjournals.org/content/early/2022/06/14/jnmt.122.264172.full
AB  - This report is of an unusual case of radioactive contamination of a gamma camera after scanning two individuals who had been treated 3 days prior with ablative doses of radioiodine (131I) for thyroid cancer. A combination of observed half-life and pulse-height spectroscopy were employed to identify the radio-contaminant. The source of the contamination was eventually found to be a single human hair, presumably contaminated by the individual sucking her hair while waiting for the scan to start. This case demonstrates that hair can be contaminated by saliva and potentially other bodily fluids in the post-ablation setting and that using physical characteristics, in this case the observed half-life and pulse-height spectroscopy, can be useful in identifying the radio-contaminant.