title: Inhomogeneous deposition of radiopharmaceuticals at the cellular level: experimental evidence and dosimetric implications.
abstract: We have undertaken an experimental examination of the conventional internal dosimetry assumptions of homogeneity of radionuclide deposition in tissues. The distribution of radiolabeled Microlite has been quantitated in mouse liver at the millimeter (multicellular) and the micrometer (cellular) levels. Measurements of radioactivity in 1-mm3 tissue samples indicate homogeneous radionuclide distribution; those derived from autoradiographs of 0.5-micron tissue sections show that, relative to other cells, the colloid was concentrated 200- to 1000-fold in liver macrophages. The dosimetric implications of such inhomogeneous radionuclide distribution in human liver, where similar radionuclide distribution is expected, are discussed on the basis of a recently developed model for calculating the dose at the cellular level, and the estimates are compared to conventional internal dosimetry predictions. It is demonstrated that during routine diagnostic examinations with 99mTc-Microlite, conventional dosimetry underestimates the dose to labeled human liver cells by factors of 8-30.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Shields Warren Radiation Laboratory, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Makrigiorgos
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baranowska-Kortylewicz
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Vinter
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iqbal
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Van den Abbeele
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Adelstein
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Kassis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D005260:Female; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin