„Technetium Crisis“ – Causes, Possible Solutions and Consequences for Planar Scintigraphy and SPECT Diagnostics
Authors:
J. Adam 1,2; J. Kadeřávek 2; F. Kužel 2; J. Vašina 3; Z. Řehák 1,3
Authors‘ workplace:
Regionální centrum aplikované molekulární onkologie, Masarykův onkologický ústav, Brno
1; ÚJV Řež, a. s., Husinec‑ Řež, Česká republika
2; Oddělení nukleární medicíny, Masarykův onkologický ústav, Brno
3
Published in:
Klin Onkol 2014; 27(Supplementum): 137-142
Overview
Nuclear medicine is an important field of nuclear medicine, especially thanks to its role in in vivo imaging of important processes in human organism. An overwhelming majority of nuclear medicine examinations comprises of planar scintigraphy and single photon emission computed tomography, for decades relying on the labeling by metastable technetium nuclide (99mTc), used with a great diversity of ligands for various applications. Nuclear medicine departments utilize commercially available molybdenum‑ technetium generators, being able to elute the nuclide at any time and prepare the radiopharmaceutical. The mother nuclide, molybdenum-99 (99Mo), is produced in just a handful of places around the world. The production places are without exception research nuclear reactors working far past their life expectancy. A concurrent temporary shutdown of two of them in the year 2009 caused a critical worldwide shortage of 99mTc. An unavoidable permanent shutdown of part of these capacities in the second decade of the 21st century will cause the second, and this time rather permanent ”technetium crisis”. The article focuses on history, present, potential future and possible solutions in regard to SPECT diagnostics.
Key words:
nuclear medicine – tomography, emission-computed, single-photon – radiopharmaceuticals – technetium – technetium crisis
This work was supported by the European Regional Development Fund and the State Budget of the Czech Republic (RECAMO, CZ.1.05/2.1.00/03.0101) and by MH CZ – DRO (MMCI, 00209805).
The authors declare they have no potential conflicts of interest concerning drugs, products, or services used in the study.
The Editorial Board declares that the manuscript met the ICMJE “uniform requirements” for biomedical papers.
Submitted:
11. 1. 2014
Accepted:
3. 4. 2014
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