[The stability of solid food labeled with different radiopharmaceuticals for studying gastric emptying]

Sulfur colloid 99mTc-SC, the radiopharmaceutical of choice for solid gastric emptying studies, is not available in our country. It has led us to assess the solid binding stability of seven alternative radiopharmaceuticals that could present adequate fixation to it a priori.

The stability of labelled solid food with seven colloidal 99mTc-radiopharmaceuticals of different sizes and nature (MAA, tin colloid, rhenium sulphide macrocolloid, albumin microcolloid, sulfur nanocolloid, albumin nanocolloid and rhenium sulfur nanocolloid) has been studied by measuring their dissociated activity after two hours digestion in simulated gastric fluid (kept 120' in agitation, in HCl 0.1 M at 37). The survey also assesses radiopharmaceutical labelling stability after two hours digestion in identical conditions by measuring their radiochemical purity in ITLC.

In these conditions, MAA, rhenium sulphide macrocolloid, albumin microcolloid and albumin microcolloid present the best behaviour, with an activity linked to food over 90 % of the previously fixed activity.

According to the results, there is no relationship between the radiopharmaceutical size and nature and the stability of its binding to the solid food. Because rhenium sulphide macrocolloid is no longer manufactured and the other three radiopharmaceuticals which have a binding stability to the solid food over 90 % do not include digestive explorations amongst their indications, nowadays, there is a serious legal limitation to carry out this type of studies in our country.