METHODOLOGY: All the patients who were treated with high dose I-131from 18th January 2016 till 31st December 2016 in Hospital Pulau Pinang, Malaysia were recruited. The data from 126 patients on thyroxine hormone withdrawal (THW) group and 18 patients on recombinant human thyroid stimulating hormone (rhTSH) group were analysed. There is no change in patient management in terms of preparation, dose or post therapy whole-body scan. Fluid intake of patients were monitored strictly and whole-body retention of I-131are measured using ionizing chamber meter immediately after ingestion of I-131then at 1 hour, 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours and 96 hours.
RESULTS: The median time to achieve permissible release limit (50 μSV/hr at 1 meter) was 21.6 hours and 22.1 hours post-ingestion of I-131in the THW and rhTSH group respectively. The minimum amount of fluid needed to reach permissible release limit in the fastest time was 2,103 ml and 2,148ml for the THW and TSH respectively.
CONCLUSION: Clinicians would be able to evidently advise their patient on the amount of fluid to consume and utilize their isolation wards faster to treat more patients.
METHODS: The imaging performance of the camera system was assessed quantitatively and qualitatively at different source depths, source to collimator distances (SCD), activity levels, acquisition times and source separations, utilising bespoke phantoms.
RESULTS: The system sensitivity and spatial resolution of the HGC for 125I were 0.41 cps/MBq (at SCD 48 mm) and 1.53 ± 0.23 mm (at SCD 10 mm) respectively. The camera was able to detect the 125I seed at a SCD of 63 mm (with no scattering material in place) in images recorded within a 1-min acquisition time. The detection of the seeds beneath scattering material (simulating deep-seated tumours) was limited to depths of less than 20 mm beneath the skin surface with a SCD of 63 mm and seed activity of 2.43 MBq. Subjective assessments of the hybrid images acquired showed the capability of the HGC for localising the 125I seeds.
CONCLUSION: This preliminary ex vivo study demonstrates that the HGC is capable of detecting 125I seeds and could be a useful tool in radioactive seed localisation with the added benefit of providing hybrid optical γ images for guiding breast conserving surgery.
ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: The SFOV HGC could provide high resolution fused optical-gamma images of 125I radioactive seeds indicating the potential use in intraoperative surgical procedure such as RSL.