Modern Technetium-99m Radiopharmaceuticals

The modern data on 99mTc radiopharmaceuticals, namely, their chemical features, synthesis methods, safety, and clinical efficacy, are analyzed. Data on the procedures for preparing 99mTc-labeled complexes, on factors influencing their stability and radiochemical yield, and on the approaches to choosing chelators are systematized. Particular attention is paid to coordination cores, to structural features of technetium complexes, and to vector fragments determining the properties of radiopharmaceuticals. The main fields of using 99mTc radiopharmaceuticals for the diagnostics of cardiovascular, tumor, renal, and inflammatory diseases are analyzed in view of the fact that efficient diagnostics and therapy of these diseases is still an unsolved clinical problem. The safety requirements including the radiation protection, quality control, and process standardization are discussed. The problems of the development, quality control, and use of 99mTc radiopharmaceuticals are considered. The modern trends and prospects for the development of 99mTc radiopharmaceuticals are summarized.