Quantitative autoradiography using a radioimager based on a multiwire proportional chamber

Phys Med Biol. 1998 Dec;43(12):3629-38. doi: 10.1088/0031-9155/43/12/018.

Abstract

Determination of the biodistribution of radiopharmaceuticals is an important issue for the evaluation of their performance in diagnosis and therapy. In this study, we evaluated a digital radioimager (RI) based on a multiwire proportional chamber for quantitative autoradiography (AR). The RI allows direct detection of electronic emissions of gamma emitters. Its qualitative and quantitative performances were tested on 99mTc and (111)In labelled sections and compared with conventional film AR. Linearity of count rate versus activity was verified over a 104 range of activity. As compared with film AR, a substantial improvement of the detection limit was obtained even for acquisition periods up to 20 times less than film exposure times. We provided the basis for quantitative analysis with tissue equivalent paste standards: the 99mTc and (111)In RI counting efficiencies were respectively 1.19% and 2.35%. We illustrated the respective values of RI and film AR in two rat studies: 99mTc-DMSA in kidney and dual-isotope 99mTc-MIBI and (111)In-antimyosin in heart. Calculated activity concentrations on sections of rat organs confirmed good correlation to gamma counting (deviation less than 12%). We suggest RI as a convenient technique for fast localization of single or dual-isotope tracers and determination of activity distribution.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Autoradiography / instrumentation*
  • Data Interpretation, Statistical
  • Indium Radioisotopes / analysis
  • Kidney / chemistry*
  • Male
  • Myocardium / chemistry*
  • Nuclear Medicine / instrumentation*
  • Radiopharmaceuticals / analysis*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Technetium Tc 99m Dimercaptosuccinic Acid / analysis
  • Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi / analysis
  • Tomography, Emission-Computed

Substances

  • Indium Radioisotopes
  • Radiopharmaceuticals
  • Technetium Tc 99m Dimercaptosuccinic Acid
  • Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi