Environmental and operational factors affecting 17-month routine <sup>18</sup>F-FDG production: Impact of final purification water cooling and process optimization.
Yamaguchi H, Maeda K, Kato M, Higaki A, Hamajima Y.
Abstract
BackgroundIn-house ^18F-FDG production is increasingly adopted by hospitals, yet few studies have quantified how environmental and operational factors influence radiochemical yield during real-world clinical operation. In May 2024, our institution launched a new cyclotron facility where all technologists had no prior experience in FDG manufacturing. This study evaluates 17 months of continuous production to identify factors associated with yield stability.MethodsA total of 17 months of consecutive production records were analyzed using a cyclotron (HM-12S) and an automated synthesizer (F300). Environmental variables included ambient temperature, humidity, and weather (Sunny/Cloudy/Rainy). The cooling condition (room temperature vs 4 °C) and implementation of a line-drying procedure were also evaluated. FDG yield, non-decay-corrected to end of bombardment (EOB), was analyzed using univariate comparisons and multivariate linear regression.ResultsTemperature and humidity showed weak but consistent correlations with yield (R² ConclusionAlthough individual environmental and operational factors exhibited only small effects on ^18F-FDG yield, their combined influence contributed to greater production stability. This multivariate approach provides practical insights for newly established hospital cyclotron facilities and supports systematic optimization in real-world FDG manufacturing.