Judge, S M; Coulon, R M; Cox, M G; Karam, L; Knoll, P; Michotte, C; Msimang, Z; Zimmerman, B E (2023) Traceability for nuclear medicine: the status of primary radioactivity standards. Metrologia, 60 (1). aca67a

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Abstract

The medical use of radionuclides depends on the accurate measurement of activity (Bq) for regulatory compliance, patient safety, and effective treatment or image quality. In turn, these measurements rely on the realization of primary standards of activity by national metrology institutes (NMIs), with uncertainties that are fit for purpose.

This article reviews the current status of primary standards of activity for radionuclides used in medical imaging and therapy applications. Results from international key comparisons are used to verify that standards for a variety of radionuclides are consistent and can conform with practitioners’ expectations.

Through an analysis of international comparison data, it is demonstrated that NMIs are able to produce primary standards for many of the isotopes currently used in nuclear medicine (e.g., 99mTc, 123I, 111In, 18F, 64Cu, 131I and 177Lu). The recent publication of three comparison results for the α-therapy radionuclide 223Ra highlighted a gap in the availability of comparison exercises that the metrology community must address to establish better traceability for emerging medical isotopes. This need is notably the case for β-therapy radionuclides (e.g., 89Sr and 90Y), α-therapy radionuclides (e.g., 225Ac and 211At), the promising Theranostic Tb isotopes, Auger therapy radionuclides (e.g., 165Er and 135La) and radionuclides used in in vitro diagnosis (e.g., 125I, 35S and 32P).

The development of the extension of the BIPM's international reference transfer instrument (ESIR) will help to fill this gap in international comparisons, improve the metrological traceability of these isotopes and ultimately benefit nuclear medicine.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	traceability, nuclear medicine, radioactivity standard, key comparison, targeted therapy
Subjects:	Ionising Radiation > Radioactivity
Divisions:	Data Science
Identification number/DOI:	10.1088/1681-7575/aca67a
Last Modified:	19 Sep 2024 09:27
URI:	https://eprintspublications.npl.co.uk/id/eprint/10033