Pharmaceutical preparation of oxygen-15 labelled molecular oxygen and carbon monoxide gasses in a hospital setting.
BACKGROUND
Clinical positron emission tomography (PET) requires safe and effective PET radiopharmaceuticals. Tracers used for measuring oxygen consumption and blood volume are [(15)O]O(2) and [(15)O]CO, respectively. In general, these oxygen-15 labelled tracers are produced using a cyclotron that accelerates deuterons onto a target filled with (14)N(2) containing a trace of oxygen. In recent years, cyclotrons have been developed that only are capable of accelerating protons. The purpose of this study was to validate and assess such a cyclotron for production and administration of oxygen-15 labelled gasses in an hospital setting.


METHODS
An RDS111 cyclotron (Siemens-CTI, Knoxville, USA) was validated for bolus production of [(15)O]O(2) and [(15)O]CO gasses. In addition, equipment was developed to administer these tracers to patients.


RESULTS
Both [(15)O]O(2) and [(15)O]CO gasses could be produced in sufficient amounts, whilst meeting European Pharmacopeia requirements. Although produced oxygen-15 gasses contained a minor level of (11)C contamination, in clinical studies it was possible to correct for this contamination by delayed blood counting.


CONCLUSIONS
An 11 MeV proton cyclotron combined with an in-house developed gas delivery system allows for the production and administration of sufficient amounts of [(15)O]-gasses for routine clinical PET studies in an hospital setting.
Luurtsema
G
G
Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Research, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. g.luurtsema@vumc.nl
Boellaard
R
R
Greuter
H N J M
HN
Rijbroek
A
A
Takkenkamp
K
K
de Geest
F G M
FG
Buijs
F L
FL
Harry Hendrikse
N
N
Franssen
E J F
EJ
van Lingen
A
A
Lammertsma
A A
AA
D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D017357:Cyclotrons; D004340:Drug Contamination; D006801:Humans; D007327:Insufflation / Q000295:instrumentation; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D010104:Oxygen Radioisotopes / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000295:instrumentation; D011786:Quality Control; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry
D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D010104:Oxygen Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D010100:Oxygen