SMÚ Develops the National Measurement Standard for Radionuclide Activity to Support Safer Nuclear Medicine
The Slovak Institute of Metrology (SMÚ), the national metrology institute of the Slovak Republic, has launched a new applied research and development project entitled “Development of the National Measurement Standard for Radionuclide Activity for Consistent and Safe Nuclear Medicine Practice in the Slovak Republic”, funded by the Slovak Research and Development Agency. The project focuses on advancing the National Measurement Standard for Radionuclide Activity to support consistent and reliable measurements at nuclear medicine facilities across Slovakia.
Radiopharmaceuticals play a key role in the diagnosis and treatment of oncological diseases. Their safe and effective use depends on determining the activity administered to patients. The project will establish a metrologically reliable standard for radiopharmaceutical activity, incorporating correction factors and a harmonised measurement methodology to support dose optimisation, patient safety and diagnostic accuracy.
The project combines experimental metrological characterisation with computational modelling. The work includes calibrating selected well-type ionisation chambers, establishing calibration curves and determining correction factors that account for the characteristics of sample containers and individual radionuclides. By combining two precisely characterised reference chambers—an etalon chamber and a mobile chamber—with a digital library of calibration and correction factors and Monte Carlo modelling, the project will enable corrections to be determined for new geometries and radionuclides without extensive experimental work.
The project focuses on radionuclides commonly used in nuclear medicine in Slovakia, particularly technetium-99m, copper-64, gallium-68, fluorine-18, iodine-123 and lutetium-177, as well as the newly introduced radionuclides actinium-225, zirconium-89 and scandium-44. The resulting library of calibration and correction coefficients will cover volumes from 0.5 to 20 millilitres and the most commonly used administration containers. The outputs will be applicable in clinical practice, in the metrological verification of measuring instruments at users’ facilities, and in harmonising measurements across healthcare facilities.
Reliable activity measurements will help healthcare facilities optimise radiopharmaceutical dosing and reduce unnecessary radiation exposure to patients. The harmonised methodology and correction factors will also improve the comparability of results across nuclear medicine facilities in Slovakia.