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U.S. Department of Energy
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COLLOIDAL RADIOALBUMIN AGGREGATES FOR ORGAN SCANNING

Conference ·
OSTI ID:4032591

Colloidal aggregates (10 to 20 m mu ) of human serum albumin /sup 131/I may be used safely by intravenous injection to perform photoscans of the heart, liver, spleen, stomach, and salivary glands in man. Large particle size suspensions (10 to 50 mu ) of the same material were investigated experimentally in animals for scanning the lungs after intravenous injection and the brain following injection into an internal carotid artery. The advantages of this test material are the relatively low radiation exposure to the target organs and the number of organs that may be examined. Radiation exposure is low because of the rapid turnover in the target organs and removal from the body, mainly by urinary excretion, within 72 hr. The mechanism of liverspleen localization with this organic colloid is the same as for inorganic colloidal /sup 198/Au, namely, rapid removal from the blood by the phagocytic cells of the liver and spleen. However, in contrast to the inorganic colloid, which remains in the phagocytic cells permanently, albumin is digested by proteolytic enzymes and the /sup 131/I label is set free to re-enter the general circulation. With the thyroid blocked, the / sup 131/ is excreted mainly in the urine as free iodide together with other labeled albumin degradation products, such as tyrosine and peptides. The calculated radiation dose to the liver is at least 100 times less from colloidal albumin Jail than from an equal dose of /sup 198/Au. (auth)

Research Organization:
California. Univ., Los Angeles. School of Medicine. Lab. of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Biology; and Los Angeles County Harbor General Hospital, Torrance, Calif.
NSA Number:
NSA-18-019813
OSTI ID:
4032591
Report Number(s):
CONF-164-11
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English