Krypton-81m imaging of the right ventricle.

We report the development of a method for obtaining right-ventricular radionuclide angiograms using continuous peripheral intravenous infusion of the ultra-short-lived nuclide krypton-81m. This tracer has a half-life of 13 sec, emits a single 190-keV photon, and is extremely insoluble. During infusion into a peripheral vein, Kr-81m achieves stable count rates over the right heart, and it is essentially completely cleared by the lungs during its initial pulmonary transit. Thus no interfering activity is present in the systemic circulation. Initial studies provide excellent data on right-heart anatomy and function.