Dispensing device and dispensing method

Abstract

To provide a dispensation device that can precisely measure the concentration of radiation and dispense a radioactive medical agent.SOLUTION: A dispensation device 1 includes: a mother vial 3 capable of containing a radioactive medical agent R1; a reference vial 11 capable of containing a radioactive medical agent R2, the reference vial being smaller than the mother vial 3; a liquid sending unit 15 for moving the radioactive medical agent R1 from the mother vial 3 to the reference vial 11; and a radiation detector 23 for measuring the radiation amount of the radioactive medical agent R2 in the reference vial 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a dispensing device. and dispensing method It is related to. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional technique in this field is a dispensing device described in Patent Document 1 below. This dispensing device includes a stock solution container for containing a stock solution of a radiopharmaceutical for PET, a diluent container for containing a diluent, a liquid transfer system having a three-way stopcock, a syringe pump, etc., and a synthesis container. In this dispensing device, the liquid transfer system moves the stock solution from the stock solution container to the synthesis container, and the diluent from the diluent container is poured into the synthesis container, thereby preparing a radiopharmaceutical in the synthesis container. In addition, a radiation detector is disposed near the stock solution container, and the radioactivity concentration of the stock solution is recognized based on the measurement value of the radiation detector. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-189515 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In this type of dispensing device, the accuracy of measuring the radioactivity concentration may depend on the amount of stock solution in the stock solution container. For example, if there is a large amount of stock solution in the stock solution container and the stock solution extends beyond the field of view of the radiation detector, the radioactivity concentration of the stock solution may not be measured accurately, and as a result, the accuracy of the radioactivity amount of the dispensed radiopharmaceutical may decrease. For example, this problem is likely to occur when a large stock solution container is used when handling a large amount of radiopharmaceutical. In consideration of this problem, the present invention provides a dispensing device that can accurately measure the radioactivity concentration and accurately dispense the radiopharmaceutical. and dispensing method The purpose is to provide the following. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The dispensing device of the present invention comprises a first container capable of containing a radioactive pharmaceutical, a second container capable of containing a radioactive pharmaceutical and smaller than the first container, a transfer means for transferring the radioactive pharmaceutical from the first container to the second container, and a radiation detector for measuring the radiation dose of the radioactive pharmaceutical in the second container.

[0006] The dispensing device of the present invention may further comprise a control unit that controls the transfer means to transfer the radiopharmaceutical from the first container to the second container.

[0007] The dispensing device of the present invention may further comprise a radiation shield disposed between the first container and the second container.

[0008] The dispensing device of the present invention may further comprise a dispensing port provided separately from the second container and to which the radiopharmaceutical dispensed from the first container is delivered.

[0009] The transfer means may have a path for delivering the radiopharmaceutical from the first container to the second container separate from a path for delivering the radiopharmaceutical from the first container to the dispensing port.

[0010] The dispensing device of the present invention may further comprise another radiation detector for measuring the radiation dose of the radiopharmaceutical delivered to the dispensing port.

[0011] The dispensing device of the present invention may further include a dispensing control unit that receives input of dispensing information indicating information related to the radiopharmaceutical to be dispensed into the dispensing port, and controls the moving means to send the radiopharmaceutical from the first container to the dispensing port in an amount calculated based on the dispensing information and the measurement value of the radiation detector.

[0012] The dispensing device of the present invention includes a first container capable of containing a radioactive pharmaceutical, a dispensing port to which the radioactive pharmaceutical dispensed from the first container is sent, a second container that is smaller than the first container and contains a radioactive pharmaceutical that is separated from the first container separately from the radioactive pharmaceutical dispensed into the dispensing port, and a radiation detector that measures the radiation dose of the radioactive pharmaceutical in the second container.

[0013] The dispensing device of the present invention may be configured to accept input of dispensing information indicating information regarding a radiopharmaceutical to be dispensed into a dispensing port, and to send the radiopharmaceutical from the first container to the dispensing port in an amount calculated based on the dispensing information and the measurement value of the radiation detector. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, a dispensing device capable of measuring radioactivity concentration with high accuracy and dispensing a radiopharmaceutical with high accuracy is provided. and dispensing method can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a dispensing device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart of a radiopharmaceutical dispensing operation by the dispensing device. [Figure 3] 1(a) to 1(d) are diagrams showing the positional relationship between a mother vial and a radiation detector. [Figure 4] 10(a) to 10(c) are diagrams showing a mother vial and other radiation detectors. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a dispensing device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] [First embodiment] A first embodiment of a dispensing device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The dispensing device 1 shown in Fig. 1 dispenses a radiopharmaceutical R1 contained in a mother vial 3 (first container) into a dispensing vial 5. Examples of the radiopharmaceutical R1 include 18F-FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose), 13N-ammonia, 11C-methionine, etc., which are labeled with a radionuclide.

[0017] The dispensing device 1 comprises the mother vial 3, a dispensing port 7, a diluent pack 9, a reference vial 11 (second container), and a waste bottle 13. The dispensing device 1 further comprises a liquid delivery unit 15 (transfer means) for transferring the radiopharmaceutical R1 and diluent between these units. The liquid delivery unit 15 comprises lines L1 to L6 for connecting the above units to each other, three-way stopcocks V1 to V5 for forming fluid transfer paths between the above units, and a syringe 17 for drawing in and discharging the radiopharmaceutical R1 and diluent through the lines. The lines L1 to L6 are composed of tubes for transporting fluid. Furthermore, a sterilizing air filter A for sterilizing air taken into the liquid delivery unit 15 from outside is provided for the mother vial 3 and one port of the three-way stopcock V2.

[0018] Line L1 connects a radiopharmaceutical synthesis device 91, which is separate from the dispensing device 1, to the mother vial 3. Line L2 connects the mother vial 3 to one port of the three-way stopcock V1. Line L3 connects the dilution solution pack 9 to one port of the three-way stopcock V3. Line L4 connects the reference vial 11 to one port of the three-way stopcock V4. Line L5 connects the dispensing port 7 to one port of the three-way stopcock V5. Line L6 connects the waste bottle 13 to the other port of the three-way stopcock V5.

[0019] The three ports of three-way stopcock V1 are connected to line L2, syringe 17, and three-way stopcock V2, respectively. The three ports of three-way stopcock V2 are connected to three-way stopcock V1, vent sterilizing filter A, and three-way stopcock V3, respectively. The three ports of three-way stopcock V3 are connected to three-way stopcock V2, line L3, and three-way stopcock V4, respectively. The three ports of three-way stopcock V4 are connected to three-way stopcock V3, line L4, and three-way stopcock V5, respectively. The three ports of three-way stopcock V5 are connected to three-way stopcock V4, line L5, and line L6, respectively.

[0020] As described above, the mother vial 3 contains the radiopharmaceutical R1. This radiopharmaceutical R1 is produced in an external radiopharmaceutical synthesis device 91 and supplied to the mother vial 3 through line L1 in a pre-sterilized state. The dispensing vial 5 described above is attached to the dispensing port 7. The diluent pack 9 contains a diluent for diluting the radiopharmaceutical R1. The diluent is, for example, physiological saline. The reference vial 11 is a container with a smaller capacity than the mother vial 3. The reference vial 11 contains a reference radiopharmaceutical R2 separated from the radiopharmaceutical R1 in the mother vial 3. The waste liquid bottle 13 is a container for collecting waste liquid and cleaning liquid in the event of a dispensing error.

[0021] The dispensing device 1 further includes an electronic balance 19, a radiation-shielding container 21, and a radiation detector 23. The electronic balance 19 measures the weight of the mother vial 3 placed on its upper surface. The reference vial 11 is accommodated inside the radiation-shielding container 21. The radiation detector 23 detects radiation from the radiopharmaceutical R2 accommodated in the reference vial 11 and measures the radiation dose. The reference vial 11 is surrounded by the radiation-shielding container 21, and the radiation detector 23 is inserted through the side wall of the radiation-shielding container 21 and faces the reference vial 11. With this configuration, radiation as noise from sources other than the reference vial 11 (for example, the radiopharmaceutical R1 in the mother vial 3 and the liquid delivery unit 15) is shielded by the radiation-shielding container 21, so that the radiation detector 23 can accurately measure the radiation dose of the radiopharmaceutical R2.

[0022] Furthermore, the field of view in which the radiation detector 23 can detect radiation (hereinafter simply referred to as "field of view") is set to cover the entire radiopharmaceutical R2 in the reference vial 11. To achieve such a setting, a sufficiently small container may be adopted as the reference vial 11 so that the field of view of the radiation detector 23 covers the entire radiopharmaceutical R2 in the reference vial 11 even when the reference vial 11 is filled to capacity with the radiopharmaceutical R2. To achieve the above setting, the field of view of the radiation detector 23 may cover the entire reference vial 11. To achieve the above setting, the liquid volume of the radiopharmaceutical R2 dispensed from the mother vial 3 into the reference vial 11 may be set to be sufficiently small.

[0023] The dispensing device 1 further includes an electric actuator 27 that moves the piston of the syringe 17 up and down, and an electric actuator 29 that can individually operate each of the three-way stopcocks V1 to V5. The dispensing device 1 also includes a control unit 25 that comprehensively controls the operation of the entire dispensing device 1. The control unit 25 sends electrical signals to the electric actuators 27 and 29 to control their operation, thereby controlling the intake and discharge of fluid by the syringe 17 and the rotational positions of the three-way stopcocks V1 to V5, thereby controlling the movement of fluid between the mother vial 3, dispensing vial 5, ..., and waste bottle 13. The control unit 25 and the electric actuator 27 accurately control the up and down stroke of the piston of the syringe 17, thereby accurately controlling the amount of fluid intake and discharge by the syringe 17. The control unit 25 also receives electrical signals from the electronic balance 19 and the radiation detector 23 to recognize their measured values. The control unit 25 has an information processing terminal 31 and a PLC 33 that relays electrical signals transmitted and received from the information processing terminal 31. As the information processing terminal 31, for example, a personal computer or a tablet terminal may be adopted.

[0024] Of the components of the dispensing device 1 described above, all elements except the control unit 25 are provided in a radiation-shielding housing 51. In this dispensing device 1, a portion of the radiopharmaceutical R1 dispensed from the mother vial 3 and the diluent in the diluent pack 9 are injected into the dispensing vial 5 through the dispensing port 7, and are temporarily stored in the dispensing vial 5 as the radiopharmaceutical R3. Thereafter, the dispensing vial 5 is removed from the dispensing device 1 by, for example, opening the door of the housing 51, and this radiopharmaceutical R3 is used for administration to a patient, etc. Note that a syringe may be attached to the dispensing port 7 instead of the dispensing vial 5. In this case, the radiopharmaceutical R3 to be used for administration to a patient, etc. is dispensed into the syringe. Note that an injection needle may be attached to the dispensing port 7 instead of the dispensing vial 5. In this case, the dispensed radiopharmaceutical R3 is directly administered to the patient through the injection needle that is pulled out of the housing 51 and inserted into the patient. In this case, the dispensing device 1 functions as a radiopharmaceutical administration device that dispenses the radiopharmaceutical from the mother vial 3 and administers it to a patient.

[0025] Next, the dispensing operation of a radiopharmaceutical by the dispensing device 1 will be described. The movement of fluid within the fluid delivery unit 15 during the dispensing operation is achieved by operating the electric actuator 29 under the control of the control unit 25 to control the rotational positions of the three-way stopcocks V1 to V5 to appropriately form a fluid movement path, and by operating the electric actuator 27 under the control of the control unit 25 to cause the syringe 17 to suck in and discharge the fluid. Therefore, detailed explanations of the operations and rotational positions of the three-way stopcocks V1 to V5 etc. during each operation will be omitted below. Furthermore, in practice, in order to move an accurate amount of fluid, preparatory operations such as filling the movement path with the radiopharmaceutical R1 or diluent in advance are also performed as appropriate, but explanations of such preparatory operations will also be omitted.

[0026] In the radiopharmaceutical dispensing operation using the dispensing device 1, as shown in FIG. 2, the following radiopharmaceutical introduction process, reference drug preparation process, dispensing information input process, dispensing amount calculation process, and radiopharmaceutical preparation process are executed.

[0027] (Radioactive drug introduction process: S201) In the dispensing operation of the dispensing device 1, first, the radiopharmaceutical R1 from the radiopharmaceutical synthesizing device 91 is supplied to the mother vial 3. At this time, the control unit 25 recognizes the liquid amount of the radiopharmaceutical R1 contained in the mother vial 3 based on the increment of the measurement value of the electronic balance 19.

[0028] (Reference drug preparation process: S203) Next, the syringe 17 aspirates the radiopharmaceutical R1 from the mother vial 3 through the line L2 and the three-way stopcock V1, and then injects a predetermined amount of the radiopharmaceutical R1 into the reference vial 11 through the three-way stopcocks V1 to V4 and the line L4. Here, the syringe 17 may aspirate air through the sterilized air filter A on the three-way stopcock V2 and eject this air toward the reference vial 11, thereby pushing the radiopharmaceutical R1 remaining between the syringe 17 and the reference vial 11 into the reference vial 11. In this way, the reference vial 11 contains the radiopharmaceutical R2 in a predetermined accurate liquid volume q2. Thereafter, the control unit 25 recognizes the radioactivity concentration of the radiopharmaceutical R2 in the reference vial 11 based on the measurement value of the radiation detector 23.

[0029] (Dispensing information input process: S205) A user of the dispensing device 1 attaches a dispensing vial 5 to the dispensing port 7 and inputs dispensing information relating to the radiopharmaceutical R3 to be dispensed into the dispensing vial 5 to the control unit 25. Specifically, for example, the dispensing information is input using an input device (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc.) of the information processing terminal 31. The dispensing information includes the amount of radioactivity a3 and the amount of liquid q3 required for the radiopharmaceutical R3.

[0030] (Radioactivity concentration acquisition process: S207) The control unit 25 acquires the measurement value of the radiation detector 23 and recognizes the radioactivity concentration of the radiopharmaceutical R2 in the reference vial 11 based on the measurement value. Specifically, the radioactivity concentration c2 of the radiopharmaceutical R2 is calculated based on the amount of radioactivity based on the radiation dose measured by the radiation detector 23 and the liquid volume q2 of the radiopharmaceutical R2. Note that the liquid volume q2 of the radiopharmaceutical R2 is known because it was accurately measured in the reference pharmaceutical preparation process described above. Here, since the radiopharmaceutical R2 is separated from the radiopharmaceutical R1, the radioactivity concentration c2 of the radiopharmaceutical R2 is equal to the radioactivity concentration c1 of the radiopharmaceutical R1. Therefore, the radioactivity concentration c2 obtained here means the radioactivity concentration c1 of the radiopharmaceutical R1 in the mother vial 3.

[0031] (Dispensing volume calculation process: S209) Based on the radioactivity concentration c2 thus obtained and the radioactivity amount a3 and liquid volume q3 included in the dispensing information, the control unit 25 calculates the liquid volume q1 to be measured from the radiopharmaceutical R1 in order to satisfy the required radioactivity amount a3 and required liquid volume q3 of the radiopharmaceutical R3, and the liquid volume q4 of the diluent for diluting it. Specifically, the liquid volumes q1 and q4 are calculated based on the following relational expressions (1) and (2). q1=a3 / c2 …(1) q4=q3-q1 …(2)

[0032] (Radioactive drug preparation processing: S211) Subsequently, under the control of the control unit 25, the syringe 17 aspirates the radiopharmaceutical R1 from the mother vial 3 and then delivers the radiopharmaceutical R1 to the dispensing port 7, and the radiopharmaceutical R1 in the volume q1 calculated as above is accurately injected into the dispensing vial 5. Here, the syringe 17 may aspirate air through the sterilized air filter A on the three-way stopcock V2 and discharge this air toward the dispensing vial 5, thereby pushing the radiopharmaceutical R1 remaining between the syringe 17 and the dispensing vial 5 into the dispensing vial 5. Furthermore, under the control of the control unit 25, the syringe 17 aspirates the diluent from the diluent pack 9 and delivers the diluent to the dispensing port 7, and the diluent in the volume q4 calculated as above is accurately injected into the dispensing vial 5. Here, the syringe 17 may suck in air through the sterilized vent filter A on the three-way stopcock V2 and then discharge this air toward the dispensing vial 5, thereby pushing the diluent remaining between the syringe 17 and the dispensing vial 5 into the dispensing vial 5. As a result, the radiopharmaceutical R1 measured in the dispensing vial 5 is diluted with the diluent, and the radiopharmaceutical R3 is prepared in the dispensing vial 5.

[0033] As a result, the radiopharmaceutical R3 with the radioactivity amount a3 and liquid volume q3 according to the dispensing information is dispensed into the dispensing vial 5. When dispensing into a plurality of dispensing vials 5 based on the same dispensing information (the same required radioactivity amount a3 and required liquid volume q3), the above-mentioned radioactivity concentration acquisition process S207, dispensing volume calculation process S209, and radiopharmaceutical preparation process S211 are repeated (process S213). When dispensing is performed with changed dispensing information, the process starts again from the above-mentioned dispensing information input process S205, and the radioactivity concentration acquisition process S207, dispensing volume calculation process S209, and radiopharmaceutical preparation process S211 are executed (process S215).

[0034] Next, we will explain the effects of this dispensing device 1. As mentioned above, information on the radioactivity concentration c1 of the radiopharmaceutical R1 is required to dispense the radiopharmaceutical R3 with the requested radioactivity amount a3 and liquid volume q3. For this purpose, it is conceivable to point a radiation detector at the mother vial 3 containing the radiopharmaceutical R1 and directly measure the radiation dose of the radiopharmaceutical R1, but this measurement method has the following problems.

[0035] As shown in FIGS. 3(a) to 3(d), consider a case where a radiation detector 41 is installed facing a mother vial 3. As shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), the amount of radiopharmaceutical R1 in the mother vial 3 may fluctuate during the dispensing operation of the radiopharmaceutical using the dispensing device 1. That is, the amount of radiopharmaceutical R1 in the mother vial 3 gradually decreases with each dispensing operation. For example, as in the case of FIG. 3(a), if the radiopharmaceutical R1 is mostly within the field of view 43 of the radiation detector 41, a relatively accurate radioactivity amount of the entire radiopharmaceutical R1 can be obtained. However, as in the case of FIG. 3(b), if the amount of radiopharmaceutical R1 in the mother vial 3 is large, the radiopharmaceutical R1 will fall outside the field of view 43, resulting in an underestimation of the radioactivity amount of the entire radiopharmaceutical R1. As such, there is a risk that the accuracy of measuring the radioactivity concentration will be affected by the amount of radiopharmaceutical R1 in the mother vial 3. This problem is particularly noticeable when the volume of the mother vial 3 is large, as shown in FIGS. 3(c) and 3(d).

[0036] As a countermeasure, as shown in Figure 4(a), it is possible to provide multiple radiation detectors 41, but this increases the cost of the device and requires calculation software to integrate multiple measurement values. Also, as shown in Figure 4(b), it is possible to use a large radiation detector 45 with a large field of view 43, but this increases the cost of the device and does not completely eliminate the tendency for measurement accuracy to depend on the liquid volume. Also, as shown in Figure 4(c), it is possible to use a so-called well-type radiation detector 47 that surrounds the mother vial 3, but this increases the cost of the device and makes it difficult to measure the liquid volume (weight) of the radiopharmaceutical R1.

[0037] In contrast, the dispensing device 1 is equipped with a reference vial 11 into which the radiopharmaceutical R1 in the mother vial 3 is dispensed. Because the reference vial 11 is a container smaller than the mother vial 3, the radiopharmaceutical R2 dispensed into the reference vial 11 is likely to fall entirely within the field of view of the radiation detector 23. Therefore, the radiation detector 23 correctly measures the radiation dose of the entire radiopharmaceutical R2, and as a result, the radioactivity concentration of the radiopharmaceutical R2 is measured with high accuracy, and ultimately, the radiopharmaceutical R1 can be dispensed with high accuracy into the dispensing vial 5 in accordance with the input dispensing information. Furthermore, compared to a system in which the radiation detector 41 is installed facing the mother vial 3 as shown in Figures 3(a) to 3(d), for example, the dispensing device 1 does not affect measurement accuracy even if the mother vial 3 is made larger, and therefore can easily accommodate cases in which a large amount of radiopharmaceutical is dispensed even when the mother vial 3 is made larger.

[0038] In particular, as described above, the above-mentioned effects can be efficiently obtained if the field of view of the radiation detector 23 is set to cover the entire radiopharmaceutical R2 in the reference vial 11. Since the reference vial 11 is smaller than the mother vial 3, the entire radiopharmaceutical R2 can be covered even if a small radiation detector 23 with a relatively narrow field of view is employed.

[0039] Furthermore, the amount of radiopharmaceutical R2 dispensed into the reference vial 11 is accurately adjusted to a predetermined liquid volume q2 by the electric actuator 27 operating accurately under the control of the control unit 25. Therefore, measurement errors in the radioactivity concentration c2 (radioactivity concentration c1) caused by errors in the liquid volume q2 are suppressed.

[0040] Furthermore, the reference vial 11 is surrounded by a radiation-shielding container 21, which functions as a radiation-shielding shield disposed between the mother vial 3 and the reference vial 11. With this configuration, radiation as noise from the mother vial 3 is shielded by the radiation-shielding container 21, so that the radiation detector 23 can measure the radiation dose of the radiopharmaceutical R2 with high accuracy, and as a result, a highly accurate radioactivity concentration c2 (radioactivity concentration c1) can be obtained.

[0041] The liquid delivery unit 15 is also provided with a path H1 for delivering the radiopharmaceutical R1 from the mother vial 3 to the dispensing port 7, and a path H2 for delivering the radiopharmaceutical R1 from the mother vial 3 to the reference vial 11. That is, the path H1 is a path that sequentially passes through the mother vial 3, line L2, three-way stopcock V1, syringe 17, three-way stopcock V1, three-way stopcock V2, three-way stopcock V3, three-way stopcock V4, three-way stopcock V5, line L5, and the dispensing port 7. The path H2 is a path that sequentially passes through the mother vial 3, line L2, three-way stopcock V1, syringe 17, three-way stopcock V1, three-way stopcock V2, three-way stopcock V3, three-way stopcock V4, line L4, and the reference vial 11.

[0042] As described above, since the paths H1 and H2 are separate, the reference vial 11 is disposed outside the dispensing path from the mother vial 3 to the dispensing port 7. Therefore, there is no flow of radiopharmaceuticals or the like into the reference vial 11 due to dispensing into the dispensing vial 5, and the amount of radiopharmaceutical R2 in the reference vial 11 during dispensing is constant. Therefore, the positional relationship between the field of view of the radiation detector 23 and the radiopharmaceutical R2 is constant, and stable measurement results can be obtained for the radioactivity concentration of the radiopharmaceutical R2.

[0043] In contrast to this, for example, a method is conceivable in which a radiation detector 23 is installed facing a syringe 17 having a smaller capacity than the mother vial 3, and the radiation dose of the radiopharmaceutical R1 is measured inside the syringe 17 during dispensing into the dispensing vial 5. However, since the amount of the radiopharmaceutical R1 drawn into the syringe 17 during dispensing is thought to vary depending on the input dispensing information, the positional relationship between the field of view of the radiation detector 23 and the radiopharmaceutical R1 cannot be said to be constant, and stable measurement results cannot be said to be obtained.

[0044] Furthermore, some of these types of radiopharmaceuticals R1 undergo significant radioactivity decay during repeated dispensing. In response to this, the dispensing device 1 executes the radioactivity concentration acquisition process S207 for each dispensing into each dispensing vial 5. Therefore, a real-time radioactivity concentration c2 (radioactivity concentration c1) is obtained each time a dispensing into each dispensing vial 5 is dispensed, and new liquid volumes q1 and q4 are calculated each time. As a result, the radiopharmaceutical can be dispensed accurately into each dispensing vial 5. While a method for acquiring the real-time radioactivity concentration c2 (radioactivity concentration c1) by calculating the decay correction of the radioactivity of the radiopharmaceutical R1 can be considered, the computational burden on the control unit 25 is reduced compared to this method. Furthermore, by actually performing measurements using the radiation detector 23, the radioactivity concentration c2 (radioactivity concentration c1) can be obtained with higher accuracy than by calculating the decay correction.

[0045] Second Embodiment A dispensing device 101 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 5. Components that are the same or equivalent between the dispensing device 101 and the dispensing device 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted. The dispensing device 101 is equipped with an actuator 127 and a syringe 117 as liquid moving means in place of the liquid delivery section 15 of the dispensing device 1.

[0046] A needle 117a is attached to the tip of the syringe 117. Under the control of the control unit 25, the actuator 127 moves the syringe 117 three-dimensionally within the housing 51 and also moves the piston of the syringe 117 up and down. By the operation of this actuator 127, the needle 117a of the syringe 117 is inserted into each of the mother vial 3, the reference vial 11, and the dispensing vial 5 installed in the dispensing port 7, and a liquid such as a radiopharmaceutical is sucked in and discharged, thereby moving the liquid between each of the parts. Except for the fact that the liquid is moved by the actuator 127 and the syringe 117 instead of the liquid delivery unit 15, the dispensing device 1 of the first embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and therefore a duplicated description will be omitted.

[0047] The present invention can be implemented in various forms, including the above-described embodiment, with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. Furthermore, it is also possible to configure modified examples by utilizing the technical matters described in the above-described embodiment. The configurations of the respective embodiments may be used in appropriate combination.

[0048] For example, in order to know the actual radioactivity of the radiopharmaceutical R3 dispensed into the dispensing vial 5 via the dispensing port 7, as shown in Fig. 1, a radiation detector 24 that detects radiation from the radiopharmaceutical R3 and measures the radiation dose may be further provided so as to face the dispensing vial 5. Note that the radiation detector 24 in Fig. 1 may be provided so as to face the syringe 17 instead of the dispensing vial 5. In this case, the radiation dose of the radiopharmaceutical in the syringe 17 that has been temporarily drawn in to send it to the dispensing vial 5 is measured by the radiation detector 24, and the actual radioactivity of the radiopharmaceutical R3 dispensed into the dispensing vial 5 is detected.

[0049] For example, in the above-mentioned reference drug preparation process S203, the liquid volume q2 of the radiopharmaceutical R2 dispensed into the reference vial 11 may be accurately controlled based on the weight difference of the mother vial 3 measured by the electronic balance 19. Also, instead of the radiation detector 23, a so-called well-type radiation detector that surrounds the reference vial 11 may be employed. The well-type radiation detector allows for more accurate measurement of the radiation dose of the radiopharmaceutical R2 in the reference vial 11. Furthermore, compared to the method of installing a well-type radiation detector in the mother vial 3 as described in FIG. 4(c), the well-type radiation detector for the reference vial 11 can be made smaller, thereby reducing costs.

[0050] For example, in the dispensing device 101 of the second embodiment, a robot arm device having a pipetting mechanism may be employed as the liquid moving means instead of the actuator 115 and the syringe 117. Also, a liquid transfer pump or the like may be employed as the liquid moving means. In this case, the amount of the radiopharmaceutical to be transferred may be controlled based on the change in weight of the mother vial 3 measured by the electronic balance 19. Also, a means for measuring the liquid level of the radiopharmaceutical in the mother vial 3 may be provided, and the amount of the radiopharmaceutical to be transferred may be controlled based on the liquid level. The size of the syringe 17 in the above-described embodiment is not particularly limited, but for example, the syringe 17 may have a larger capacity than the reference vial 11 so as to increase the amount of the radiopharmaceutical R3 that can be dispensed into the dispensing vial 5 at one time while accurately measuring the radiation dose of the radiopharmaceutical R2 in the reference vial 11. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1,101...dispensing device, R1, R2, R3...radioactive drug, 3...mother vial (first container), 7...dispensing port, 11...reference vial (second container), 15...liquid delivery unit (moving means), 21...radiation shielding container (radiation shielding shield), 23...radiation detector, 24...other radiation detector, 25...control unit (dispensing control unit), 117...syringe (moving means), 127...actuator (moving means), H1, H2...path.

Claims

1. a first container capable of containing a radiopharmaceutical; a second container capable of containing the radiopharmaceutical and smaller than the first container; a transfer means for transferring a predetermined amount of the radiopharmaceutical from the first container to the second container; a radiation detector for measuring the radiation dose of the radiopharmaceutical in the second container; a control unit that calculates the radioactivity concentration of the radiopharmaceutical in the first container based on the measurement value of the radiation detector and the predetermined amount; A dispensing device comprising:

2. The dispensing device according to claim 1 , further comprising a control unit that controls the transfer means to transfer the radiopharmaceutical from the first container to the second container.

3. The dispensing device of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a radiation shielding shield disposed between the first container and the second container.

4. The dispensing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a dispensing port provided separately from the second container and through which the radiopharmaceutical dispensed from the first container is delivered.

5. 5. The dispensing device of claim 4, wherein the moving means has a path for delivering the radioactive drug from the first container to the second container, separate from a path for delivering the radioactive drug from the first container to the dispensing port.

6. 6. The dispensing device according to claim 4, further comprising a dispensing control unit that accepts input of dispensing information indicating information about the radiopharmaceutical to be dispensed into the dispensing port, and controls the moving means to send the radiopharmaceutical from the first container to the dispensing port in an amount calculated based on the dispensing information and the measurement value of the radiation detector.

7. 7. The dispensing device according to claim 4, further comprising another radiation detector for measuring the radiation dose of the radiopharmaceutical delivered to the dispensing port.

8. a first container capable of containing a radiopharmaceutical; a dispensing port to which the radiopharmaceutical dispensed from the first container is delivered; a second container that is smaller than the first container and that contains a predetermined amount of the radiopharmaceutical taken from the first container separately from the radiopharmaceutical dispensed into the dispensing port; a radiation detector for measuring the radiation dose of the radiopharmaceutical in the second container; a control unit that calculates the radioactivity concentration of the radiopharmaceutical in the first container based on the measurement value of the radiation detector and the predetermined amount; A dispensing device comprising:

9. 9. The dispensing device according to claim 8, wherein the dispensing device accepts input of dispensing information indicating information about the radiopharmaceutical to be dispensed into the dispensing port, and sends the radiopharmaceutical from the first container to the dispensing port in an amount calculated based on the dispensing information and the measurement value of the radiation detector.

10. A dispensing method for dispensing a radioactive drug from a first container containing the radioactive drug into a dispensing port, comprising: a transferring step of transferring a predetermined amount of the radiopharmaceutical taken out from the first container to a second container smaller than the first container, separately from the radiopharmaceutical dispensed into the dispensing port; a radiation detection step of measuring the radiation dose of the radiopharmaceutical in the second container; a calculation step of calculating a radioactivity concentration of the radiopharmaceutical in the first container based on the measurement value in the radiation detection step and the predetermined amount; A dispensing method comprising:

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