Evaluation of perfusion with the 81Rb-81mKr generator.

The development of the 81Rb-81mKr generator-delivery system has made available an ultrashort (13-sec) half-life radionuclide for continuous, constant-rate delivery as a gas, or as an isotonic, nonionic solution in 5% dextrose and water. This system has been evaluated and applied to the scintigraphic imaging of various organs and anatomic regions by intravenous and intraarterial infusion and by inhalation and deglutition. This diffusible, noble gas is inert chemically and biologically. When the gas is administered intraarterially, the volume of tissue being perfused may be defined with the scintillation camera. The 13-sec half-life is of a similar magnitude to the rate of capillary exchange, producing a heterogeneous image with steady-state administration in which the intensity of detectable radioactivity is proprotional to the time of diffusion into the tissue. This system appears capable of defining the rate of capillary exchange and the moment-to-moment changes brought about by vasoactive stimuli in specific organs.