Convenient ⁷⁷Kr Production Method for Medical Use

Abstract

A convenient method of ⁷⁷Kr production has been developed for its routine medical use in cerebral blood flow measurement. An aqueous solution of NaBr (40 wt%) was used as the target and ⁷⁷Kr produced by the ⁷⁹Br (p, 3n) ⁷⁷Kr reaction was rapidly recovered from the target under a He stream. The optimal target thickness was determined to be 5-6 mm by investigating radionuclidic purity and proton current effect on the yield. About 740 MBq (20 mCi) of ⁷⁷Kr with a radionuclidic purity of 92% was obtained within 5 min after a 5μA-20 min irradiation. The present method has been demonstrated to be suitable for routine ⁷⁷Kr production.