title: Xenon-127m: a new radionuclide for applications in nuclear medicine.
abstract: Xenon-127m (127mXe) emits two gamma rays in cascade, with half-life of 69.2 +/- 0.9 sec. The first has the energy of 172.5 keV, and is emitted from the nucleus in 38% of the decays. The second gamma ray has the energy of 124.8 keV and is emitted from the nucleus in 69% of the disintegrations. Together they furnish 107 easily collimated gamma rays per 100 decays. Xenon-127m is generated readily by bombarding nearly saturated aqueous solutions of sodium or potassium iodide with 14-MeV protons. The 127mXe is swept out continuously, as it is produced, by bubbling helium upward through the solutions. Up to approximately 100 mci/l are obtained from the resulting mixture of gases. The 127mXe + helium is admixed with about five volumes of air (or oxygen) and then driven continuously to a scintillation camera located approximately 200 yd distant. When the mixture of gases is inhaled, high quality images of the lungs are obtained by means of an Anger scintillation camera.
authors.affiliation: Sloan Kettering Institute Division of Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Cornell University, New York, New York.
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Dahl
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Graham
mesh_terms: D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010315:Particle Accelerators; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D014980:Xenon Radioisotopes
chemical_list: D014980:Xenon Radioisotopes