Nuclear Medicine - Milking a Technetium 99m Generator

Milking a Molybdenum 99/Technetium 99m generator. This is a dry column type, made by ARI at Lucas Heights in Sydney. Generators are housed in lead "garages" to reduce radiation levels in the room. This particular generator contains about 200GBq of Mo99 and its daughter decay product, Tc99m.

A vial containing sodium chloride and water (saline) is put onto the left side, and then the evacuated generator eluate pot (in the yellow shielded pot) is placed on the needle on the right hand side. The vacuum in the pot draws the saline through the aluminium column inside the generator, to which Mo99 is bound, and attaches and removes the Tc99m, which is then collected in the yellow pot. Simple, easy and effective. Total activity eluted was about 160GBq. Afterwards, the eluate is tested for the percentage of Mo99 it might contain (an impurity), Aluminium breakthrough from the column, pH and the total activity. The eluate is then made up to a specific concentration of around 10GBq per mL for easy dispensing

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• nuclear medicine
• generator
• molybdenum 99
• Mo99
• technetium 99m
• sodium pertechnetate

[GREENVK]

Vials were swabbed about 10 sec before the video started. The vial was removed quicker than normal, so that all the vacuum was not depleted, so it could continue to be used on another generator. We use this little trick to combine eluate from multiple generators when they only have a low yield. Saves re-evacuating the eluate vial.

[MandarJoshi92]

our labs are better

[justn686]

No, the only radioactive material he was handling, was in the leaded container he removed at the end. He also needs to slow down, and remember to use alcohol on the vial tops before eluting

[Doppelbuckel]

Is the doc working so fast in order not to receive a too big dose?

[ARandomInterval]

very interesting