PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Maroun Karam
AU  - Raymond N. Dansereau
AU  - Howard S. Smith
TI  - Oral Administration of <sup>131</sup>I by Semiautomatic Pipette to a Patient with Severe Swallowing Difficulties: A Case Report
DP  - 2003 Sep 01
TA  - Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
PG  - 161--162
VI  - 31
IP  - 3
4099  - http://tech.snmjournals.org/content/31/3/161.short
4100  - http://tech.snmjournals.org/content/31/3/161.full
SO  - J. Nucl. Med. Technol.2003 Sep 01; 31
AB  - As an alternative method of oral administration of 131I to a patient with quadriplegia and severe swallowing difficulties, we introduced, into the back of the patient’s mouth, a 200-μL laboratory pipette containing 74 MBq (2 mCi) of 131I-sodium iodide in a 76-μL aqueous solution and delivered its contents. The procedure was repeated a few days later with a 1,000-μL laboratory pipette to administer 1.48 GBq (40 mCi) of 131I-sodium iodide in a 270-μL aqueous solution. The patient tolerated both procedures well. The pipette permitted accurate measurement of both dosages and complete (greater than 99.9%) delivery of the tracer in a small volume to the back of the patient’s mouth, as documented by assay of the empty pipette after use. In patients with swallowing difficulties, use of the pipette constitutes a safe and efficient means to deliver 131I-sodium iodide by the oral route.