How to get 133Xe into solution for blood flow studies: a technical note with an emphasis on neurosurgical patients.

OBJECTIVE: 133Xe has been widely used for measuring blood flow in various organs. Because an injectable solution of 133Xe is not commercially available, a technique is presented that allows both the production of the radiopharmaceutical and the drawing of individualized patient doses. METHOD: A system was designed to crush ampoules of 133Xe gas inside a sealed cylinder containing sodium chloride injection 0.9%. RESULTS: 133Xe ampoules of different sizes and filled with different activities were crushed within the system. The steel cylinder shielded 98% of the radiation. With 34 GBq 133Xe a total of 20 studies of cerebral blood flow were performed. No bacteriological contamination of the drawn doses was detected. CONCLUSION: The crusher system allows the efficient and safe production of an injectable solution of 133Xe with sodium chloride 0.9%.