Making radioactive isotopes for positron-emission tomography, employs accelerator designed to accelerate at least two different projectiles, especially protons and deuterons

摘要

To make a radioactive isotope for positron emission tomography (PET), a designated projectile is accelerated in a linear accelerator. This accelerator is constructed for acceleration of at least two different projectiles. The projectiles are protons and/or deuterons. Radioactive isotopes are produced with half lives exceeding one hour, especially 18F. In addition or alternatively, they have half lives of up to one hour, being especially 11C and/or 13N. The nuclear reactions used to produce the radioactive isotopes, generate alpha particles. Specific reactions employed to produce radioactive isotopes include one or more of: 20Ne(d, alpha ) 18F, 14N(p, alpha ) 11C, 16O(p, alpha ) 13N. To use a different projectile, only the gas type in the linear accelerator source, the accelerator parameter set, the high frequency amplitude and the high frequency phase are varied. Projectile energies reached at the target of the linear accelerator are 5 to 15MeV for protons, and/or 10 to 20 MeV for deuterons. The linear accelerator has a radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) and an acceleration resonator operated in H-mode. The acceleration resonator is especially operated in the interdigital- or crossbar H-mode. Beam loss in the RFQ is 10% or less. If appropriate, in the IH tank or the CH tank, it is 1% or less.