Technetium (99mTc) albumin aggregated

Kits for preparing ^99mTc-MAA are available in the United States from only a single manufacturer; Jubilant DraxImage. The kits are delivered to nuclear pharmacies as lyophilized powders of non-radioactive ingredients sealed under nitrogen. A nuclear pharmacist adds anywhere from 50 - 100 mCi of Na[^99mTcO₄] to the reaction vial to make the final product, in the pH range of 3.8 to 8.0. After being allowed to react at room temperature for 15 minutes to ensure maximum labeling of the human albumin with ^99mTc, the kit can then be diluted with sterile normal saline as needed.

Once prepared the product will have a turbid white appearance.[3]

The typical adult dose for a lung imaging study is 40-150 Megabecquerels (1-4 mCi) (containing between 100,000 - 200,000 albumin particles).[6][7] The particle burden should be lowered for most pediatric patients and lowered to 50,000 for infants.[8] The use of more than 250,000 particles in a dose is controversial as little extra data is acquired from such scans while there is an increased risk of toxicity.[9][10] Patients with pulmonary hypertension should be administered a minimum number of particles to achieve a lung scan (i.e. 60,000). In any patient by administering a greater quantity of particles than necessary for the diagnostic procedure increases the risks of toxicity.

Because of gravity effects, patients administered ^99mTc MAA should be in the supine position to ensure as even a distribution of particles throughout the lungs as possible.

The total percentage of particles trapped in the lungs can be determined through a whole body scan after the administration of ^99mTc MAA through the equation:

${\displaystyle \%\ {\text{Right-to-left shunt}}=\left({\frac {({\text{Total body counts}})-({\text{Total lung counts}})}{({\text{Total body counts}})}}\right)\times 100\%}$.

• Kowalsky, Richard J., Steven W. Falen. Radiopharmaceuticals in Nuclear Pharmacy and Nuclear Medicine. 2nd Edition.American Pharmacist Association: 2004.