Upgrade of IAEA recommended data of selected nuclear reactions for production of PET and SPECT isotopes

Abstract

An IAEA research project was dedicated to the compilation, evaluation and recommendation of cross-section data for the accelerator production of ¹¹C, ¹³N, ¹⁵O, ¹⁸F, ⁶⁴Cu, and ¹²⁴I positron-emitting radionuclides clinically used for PET imaging, and for the accelerator production of two gamma emitters, ⁸¹Rb and ¹²³I, used in SPECT imaging. Cross sections for 19 charged-particle induced reactions that can be employed for radionuclide accelerator production were evaluated including uncertainties. The resulting reference cross-section data were obtained from Padé fits to selected and corrected experimental data, and integral thick target yields were subsequently deduced. Uncertainties in the fitted results were estimated via a Padé least-squares method with the addition of a 4% assessed systematic uncertainty to the estimated experimental uncertainty. Experimental data were also compared with comprehensive predictions available from the TENDL library that reflects the current status of theoretical modelling. All of the numerical reference cross-section data with their corresponding uncertainties and deduced integral thick target yields are available on-line at the IAEA-NDS medical portal www-nds.iaea.org/medportal/ and also at the IAEA-NDS web page www-nds.iaea.org/medical/.