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In vivo measurement of lithium in the body by a neutron activation analysis technique
Author(s) -
Glaros D.,
LoMonte A. F.,
Ellis K. J.,
Yasumura S.,
Stoenner R. W.,
Cohn S. H.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.473
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 2473-4209
pISSN - 0094-2405
DOI - 10.1118/1.595922
Subject(s) - lithium (medication) , neutron activation analysis , neutron , nuclear physics , in vivo , nuclear medicine , radiochemistry , materials science , medical physics , nuclear magnetic resonance , physics , medicine , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , biology
A technique has been developed for in vivo determination of lithium content in the head (and potentially in the whole body and in selected organs) of patients undergoing lithium therapy. It is based on the measurement of tritium induced by the 6 Li( n ,α)T nuclear reaction after neutron irradiation of the body. The fraction of tritium exhaled in the expired air in the form of HT is collected, separated from the other gases, and counted in a high‐sensitivity beta counter. The feasibility of the technique was demonstrated by measurements of lithium in the head of a sheep and in the whole body of rats, following the administration of 6 LiCl (enriched 6 Li isotope, 95.46% abundancy). The precision of the technique is acceptable for clinical applications based on a maximum propagated error of 8.4%. The sensitivity is 1 count/d (from T activity) per 10 mSv (total dose) and 1 μg of 6 Li. This indicates that studies on patients under 6 Li treatment can be performed successfully with a radiation dose to the head of 1–2 mSv.