Development of a correction factor for Xe-133 vials for use with a dose calibrator

Manufacturers of dose calibrators who gave calibration settings for various radionuclides sometimes do not specify the type of radionuclide container the calibration is for. The container, moreover, may not be of the same type as those a user might purchase. When these factors are not considered, the activity administered to the patient may be significantly different from that intended. An experiment is described in which calibration factors are determined for measurement of Xe-133 activity in vials in a dose calibrator. This was accomplished by transferring the Xe-133 from the commercial vials to standard NBS calibration ampuls. Based on ten such transfers, the resulting correction factor for the dose calibrator was 1.22.