Determination of the bromide space in man by fluorescent excitation analysis of oral bromine

Abstract

The bromide dilutional volume determined by intravenous administration of 82Br has been compared with the corresponding volume determined by oral administration of stable bromide in 11 patients with various medical disorders. Stable bromide was assayed by fluorescent excitation analysis using a 109Cd source and a lithium-drifted silicon detector. The average deviation between the fluorescent and the radiobromide dilutional volumes was 4.2% with a standard deviation of +/- 8.5%. This substantiates both the accuracy of the fluorescent excitation method as applied to this tracer and the validity of utilizing oral tracer administration in comparison with intravenous administration. The derived estimates of extracellular fluid volume averaged 28.7% of body weight in the entire group of 11 patients and 25.8% in the 4 normal subjects included in the group. Evaluation of the extracellular fluid space utilizing fluorescent excitation of stable bromide permits high statistical accuracy of sample measurement with great simplicity compared with current chemical methods and with avoidance of the patient radiation exposure associated with 82Br.