Competency: 12

Details

Measure the radiochemical purity of a prepared radiopharmaceutical such as technetium-99m-labelled methylene    diphosphonate   (MDP) using a miniaturised two-system thin-layer chromatography (TLC) assay

• Calculate percentage purity and see if it meets the required specification
• Repeat the assay towards the end of the shelf life of the material
• Complete the documentation to record these activities

Considerations

• Radiopharmaceuticals in routine clinical practice together with any particular problems arising from their use.
• Activities normally undertaken in a hospital radiopharmacy.
• Radiopharmaceuticals preparation.
• Quality assurance in radiopharmacy in particular and describe the most important means of control of aseptic preparation and how the principles of quality assurance are routinely applied in a radiopharmaceutical production system.
• Nomenclature, principles, and mechanisms of atomic reactions.
• The design and principles of particle accelerators and nuclear reactors and their relevance for production of radionuclides used in nuclear medicine.
• Qualitative and quantitative terms the interactions of radiation with biological systems.
• Relative risks of nuclear medicine procedures compared with other potentially hazardous life events.
• The principles of the most important types of radiation detectors used in nuclear medicine together with the way in which they are normally employed.
• The structure of the atom, the most important means of radioactive decay of unstable nuclei and the types of radiation emitted there from.
• Radionuclides used in nuclear medicine:
  • the relationships between their physical properties, their  clinical applications, and their strengths and weaknesses
  • the radiopharmaceutical chemistry of these radionuclides
  • the influence of these chemical properties on the biodistribution of their radiopharmaceuticals
  • the different formulations used in nuclear medicine; properties and preparation
  • radiopharmaceutical kits and reagents used therein.
• Technetium-99m generators.
• Methods of measuring molybdenum breakthrough and radiochemical purity.

Relevant learning outcomes