Calibration of radionuclide calibrators and measurements of activities for nuclear medicine grade radionuclides

Radionuclide calibrators typically used in the nuclear medicine departments of the hospitals or in the research laboratories can be calibrated using a broad list of radionuclide solutions. The calibration can be done for most of the radionuclides that are standardized at international level. Some examples of routinely used radionuclides are Tc-99m, F-18, Ga-68, I-131, Y-90, Ra-223 but also more recent radionuclides like Tb-161, Lu-177 or even Ac-225 can be measured. 

The calibrations on site of the customer are preferred, but the measurements can also be done on SCK CEN site or occasionally using a transfer vial for which the reference activity is determined by LNK. The calibrations on site of the customer have the advantage of extra knowledge sharing and it avoids the transport of the radionuclide calibrators of the customer.

LNK is using a Fidelis type secondary standard radionuclide calibrator, manufactured by Southern Scientific, which is a replica of the secondary standard of NPL (UK). Therefore, the LNK measurements are traceable to the primary standards of NPL (UK). Traceability to international standards and precise corrections for vial type and for the volume of the solutions inside a vial play an important role for clinical trials and in innovative treatment protocols.

LNK is using the NPL guide No. 93 “A national measurement good practice guide - Protocol for Establishing and Maintaining the Calibration of Medical Radionuclide Calibrators and their Quality Control” as reference for the radionuclide calibrators. The IEC/DIS 63465 standard “Calibration and quality control in the use of radionuclide calibrators” has similar recommendations.