Use of Technetium-99m(V)Thiocyanate To Measure Gastric Emptying of Fat

• Published in: The Journal of nuclear medicine (1978) Vol. 32; no. 5; pp. 878 - 881
• Main Authors: Cunningham, Karen M, Baker, Richmond J, Horowitz, Michael, Maddox, Anne F, Edelbroek, Michela A.L, Chatterton, Barry E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reston, VA Soc Nuclear Med 01.05.1991; Society of Nuclear Medicine
• Subjects: Adult; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Dietary Fats; Gastric Emptying; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Isotope Labeling; Male; Medical sciences; Olive Oil; Organotechnetium Compounds; Plant Oils; Rabbits; Radionuclide investigations; Thiocyanates; Radionuclide study; Human; Stomach; Grease; Exploration; Physiology; Technetium; Technique; Experimental study; Draining
• ISSN: 0161-5505; 1535-5667

Technetium-99m(V)thiocyanate was evaluated as a radio-pharmaceutical for measuring gastric emptying of fat. Olive oil was labeled with 99mTc(V)thiocyanate by direct extraction from acidic thiocyanate solution. After incubation with dilute HCl (pH 1.4) at 37 degrees C for 3 hr, approximately 5% of the total radioactivity eluted into the aqueous phase. When incubated with human gastric juice (pH 1.8 and 2.2), approximately 8% of the activity was detected in the aqueous phase at 3 hr. Scintigraphic studies performed in two rabbits showed that olive oil labeled with 99mTc(V)thiocyanate emptied slowly from the stomach, with a gastric half-emptying time (T50) of more than 3 hr. A low-nutrient soup labeled with 113mIn-DTPA and mixed with 99mTc(V)thiocyanate labeled oil was consumed by six human volunteers. The oil emptied much more slowly (p less than 0.02) (median T50 = 198 min) than the aqueous component (median T50 = 30 min). These observations indicate that 99mTc(V)thiocyanate is a suitable pharmaceutical to measure gastric emptying of extracellular fat.