Advances in the production, processing and microPET image quality of technetium-94m

This work involves the production, processing and imaging of the short-lived, rarely used positron emission tomography (PET) radionuclide technetium-94m (Tc-94m). Our procedures are an extension of methods reported in the literature and are detailed within. A key modification was the development of a single step that combines purification and concentration of an aqueous Tc-94m-perteclinetate solution, which both reduces processing time and increases the final concentration of the solution. Additionally, a convenient method for the direct recovery of Tc-94m into an organic solvent was developed, eliminating the solvent transfer step needed for organic syntheses using Tc-94m. Each of these advances potentially extends the scope of syntheses possible with this short-lived radionuclide. To explore the imaging potential of 94mTc, we carried out phantom imaging studies on small-scale high-resolution PET scanners to estimate the limitations of detection associated with 94mTc and PET. Preliminary studies demonstrate that useful images can be obtained with modem image reconstruction algorithms when using a correction for the cascade gamma ray contamination. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.