Rhenium-188 (188Re) is arguably the most promising generator-produced beta-emitting radionuclide for radiotherapy applications. With a beta-energy of 2.12 MeV (100%) and medium-short half-life of 17h, it is readily available using commercially available generators and has a similar chemistry and gamma emission peak (155 keV, 15%) to 99mTc.
Unfortunately, the accurate image quantitation of 188Re over a wide range of activities for dosimetric purposes remains a challenge. Quality of 188Re images obtained with traditional preclinical multi-pinhole SPECT imagers is significantly worse than for 99mTc, resulting from the presence of scattered photons and collimator aperture penetration from high-energy gamma rays up-to 913 keV.
In this scientific publication, the authors describe that MILabs VECTor system enables for the first time, to obtain images of similar quantitative accuracy and resolution as can be obtained by imaging 99mTc.
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