UKRG Handbook INTRODUCTION
The Radiopharmacy Handbook was conceived during the course of a workshop convened to address the problems faced, and practices to be adopted when non-licensed medicinal products were introduced or adopted in nuclear medicine procedures. During the course of the workshop it became clear that publication of the proceedings would fill a need as a valuable reference source of information to the practitioners of radiopharmacy and the result was publication of the Radiopharmacy Handbook. Consultation during various draft stages however revealed wider needs throughout the radiopharmacy community for a readily accessible source of information on a broader range of topics and an attempt has been made to include at least some of these. Specific problems associated with the use of non-licensed products still form the basis for some sections of the document, in particular the section related to tests for identity. Those sections which have been added include some routine quality control procedures, a list of suppliers of radiopharmaceuticals and equipment, and information on drug interactions.
The Radiopharmacy Handbook will always represent a compromise with respect to the inclusion of information readily accessible via other sources, and of material which represents the accumulation of experience but which has never been published or otherwise widely circulated. Information in the formulary section falls mainly into the latter category, supplemented by inclusion of sources and points of contact. Readily accessible sources have been included as a bibliography and large amounts of detail have been deliberately omitted. The Notes for Guidance on the Administration of Radioactive Substances to Persons for Purposes of Diagnosis, Treatment or Research (Administration of Radioactive Substances Advisory Committee 1998) contains a wealth of information on paediatric doses, blocking agents, dosimetry calculations and maximum usual levels of activity to be administered for specific test procedures. It is expected that most radiopharmacy practitioners will have ready access to this publication, and therefore the information it contains has not been reproduced. Volumes of information have been published on drug interactions with radiopharmaceuticals, and on chromatographic methods for the determination of radiochemical purity. However, the information is not comprehensively summarised in a single book or journal, and there is therefore merit in including the "quick reference" guides provided here. These should satisfy most needs, with the reader being directed to more comprehensive sources of information if required.
A source document of this type can, almost by definition, never be complete and will require constant updating. Both these considerations set limitations on the format and style to be adopted in preparation and distribution, but at the same time are the keys to its value. Wide consultation suggested the present format to be the most useful, in that it lends itself easily and economically to updating. It is expected that the document will steadily evolve through the processes of modification and deletion, and the inclusion of new data. The value of the document as a ready source of useful material can only be maintained through a response from the readership by the submission of material for inclusion and by comment through the contacts named herein.
Radiopharmacy is not unique in the respect that techniques and methods are subject to fashion and change in the light of the changing demands of nuclear medicine. Retention of certain formulations in the formulary might seem at first sight to be anachronistic and unnecessary, but there are occasions when a long unused or rarely-used method represents the only solution to a particular clinical problem. In the event of such circumstances arising, it is often difficult, and sometimes impossible, to find an appropriate description of the methodology required, and much unnecessary work can ensue. It is in the use of these very methods that the radiopharmacy practitioner needs the benefit of as much experience as possible.
The inclusion of a method in this document should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its suitability by the UK Radiopharmacy Group. The techniques described are included in good faith and have been found to work in the hands of the contributors. Any method should be evaluated fully by the user for safety and efficacy before being taken into use.
If you have any comments on the current content of this Handbook, or suggestions for improvements or new additions please pass your comments either to your local UKRG representative, listed here, or to the webmaster@ukrg.org.uk
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Last updated 12.12.01