A new ^99mTc-red blood cell labeling procedure for cardiac blood pool imaging: clinical results

The first clinical results of a new ^99mTc-red blood cell labeling procedure avoiding cell centrifugation are presented. One ml heparinized blood samples were incubated with small amounts of a stannous kit. By titration studies, ideal quantities of sodium hypochlorite for oxidation of extracellular tin and of EDTA as stabilizer of the label were found. The Cl^- concentration and pH of the labeled blood were acceptable, and EDTA increased labeling yield and stability determined in vitro by a few percent. The new procedure gave a slightly higher labeling yield than a current technique using centrifugation of cells. Labeling efficiency expressed as cell bound/total activity was 96.6%±1.3% in healthy subjects and 95.5%±2.2% in cardiac patients and remained high for 2 h after reinjection. The biological halflife of labeled cells following the new procedure was 11-12 h rendering it suitable for serial determinations of radionuclide cardiography.