A conjugate counting method to determine [75Se]SeHCAT retention in the human body

To evaluate the functional integrity of the distal part of the ileum the retention of a gamma-labelled bile acid (SeHCAT) in the human body can be measured with a detector. Due to the lack of a whole body counter at our institution a two detector system was designed to measure SeHCAT retention and an evaluation of such a system has been made. The detectors are positioned on either side of a patient lying supine on a hospital trolley. The trolley is stepped forward in 100 mm steps, to determine the SeHCAT activity in the patient. With these counts the location of the SeHCAT activity and total activity present in the body can be determined. A water filled phantom and a phantom consisting of nine 1-L saline bags with 75Se activity placed in them was used to determine system performance. Four patients with no history of bowel disease were compared with published data for normals. Results showed that the system performed satisfactorily, and accurate quantitative measurements could be made, showing that this inexpensive system could be used where a whole body counter is not available.