Purpose: The AI-300 automated infusion device (Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) is subject to administration error as a function of smaller volumes of 18F-FDG dispensed via a three-way cock supplied with a disposable kit. The present study aimed to validate the administration accuracy of the AI-300 using an improved disposable kit for quantitative positron emission tomography (PET) assessment.
Methods: We determined administration accuracy between the improved and previous disposable kits by measuring variations in dispensed volumes and radioactive concentrations of 18F-FDG according to the criteria of the Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine. A reference value was generated by measuring radioactivity using a standard dose calibrator.
Results: The values obtained using the previous kit deviated from the reference values by a maximum of -10.6%, and the deviation depended on dispensed volumes of 18F-FDG<0.25 mL. In contrast, the values were relatively stable when using the improved kit with dispensed 18F-FDG volumes < 0.25 mL. Variations in radioactive concentrations were relatively stable using the improved kit, whereas that of the previous kit was slightly unstable at high radioactive concentrations.
Conclusion: The administration accuracy of the AI-300 using the previous kit varied considerably according to smaller dispensed volumes, but the improved kit might alleviate this problem. The present results indicated that the improved disposal kit should be immediately implemented to eliminate uncertainty surrounding quantitative PET findings.
Keywords: administration accuracy; automated infusion device; disposable kit; dose calibrator; positron emission tomography (PET).