Routes for supply of technetium-99m for diagnostic nuclear medicine

Technetium-99m is the most frequently used radio nuclide in diagnostic nuclear medicine. Although competing noninvasive diagnostic techniques are emerging, the prospects for the next decades are that 99mTc will continue to play an indispensable role in diagnostic medicine. However, this applies only when the requirements of a reliable, cheap, frequent, and worldwide supply of 99mTc to hospitals are met. This latter issue has been frequently addressed in recent years in publications and presentations at scientific meetings. This paper presents an overview of current and future methods to supply 99mTc