Radiation Absorbed Dose from Technetium-99m DTPA

The whole-body retention of intravenously administered [99mTc]DTPA was measured by urine analysis and whole-body counting in eight normal subjects. On average, the elimination of [99mTc]DTPA was faster in these subjects than in 11 patients under study for hypertension whose whole-body retention data were used in MIRD Dose Estimate Report No. 12. The average residence time for [99mTc]DTPA in total body, less bladder contents, was only 65% of the MIRD value. However, despite this difference, the dosimetry is similar in both cases largely owing to the influence of radioactivity in bladder contents. Approximately 2-3% of the administered radioactivity was retained in the body for a time that was long relative to the physical half-life of 99mTc, and probably reflects a small amount of protein binding of the DTPA preparation.