Gastrointestinal scintigraphy using 99mTc- or 111In-labelled polymer beads

Area of Science:

• Nuclear medicine
• Radiochemistry
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Accurate measurement of stomach emptying requires radioactive tracers that behave like food.
• Existing tracers may not perfectly mimic solid food behavior in the stomach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate novel resins as tracers for gastrointestinal scintigraphy.
• To assess the suitability of these resins for measuring stomach emptying characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Styrene-divinyl-benzene resins with chelating groups were synthesized.
• Resins were labeled with technetium-99m pertechnetate (99mTcO4-) or indium-111 chloride (111In+3).
• Resin suitability was evaluated using gastrointestinal scintigraphy in baboons and a human volunteer.

Main Results:

• The prepared resins demonstrated effective binding of 99mTc and 111In.
• The radioactive tracers showed suitable behavior for gastrointestinal scintigraphy.
• Encouraging results were obtained in both animal models and human studies.

Conclusions:

• Developed resins are suitable for creating radioactive tracers for stomach emptying studies.
• These tracers accurately reflect food behavior in the stomach.
• The method shows promise for establishing normal and pathological stomach emptying characteristics.