Abstract
WE have described1 the use of sodium-24 clearance studies in the experimental and clinical determination of bone vascularity. Sodium-24 has a half-life of only 15.06 hr. and in the United States is only avail-from Oakridge National Laboratory on one day of each week. Thus it is difficult to use it for clinical investigation if more than three half-lives have transpired since its removal from the pile. This led us to search for an isotope with a longer half-life that could be used for clearance studies. Iodine-131 is readily available in most large hospitals, where it is used for the investigation and treatment of thyroid diseases. The half-life of iodine-131 being 8.0 days, it is more suitable for clinical use throughout the week than is the short-lived sodium-24.
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References
Laing, P. G., and Ferguson, jun., A. B., Nature, 182, 1442 (1958).
Douglas, B., and Meneeley, George, Disc. Ann. Surg., 145, 635 (1957).
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LAING, P., FERGUSON, A. Iodine-131 Clearance-rates as an Indication of the Blood Supply of Bone. Nature 183, 1595 (1959). https://doi.org/10.1038/1831595a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1831595a0
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