Abstract
The Cyclotron Center of Shin Kong Memorial Hospital is the most active [ 18 F]FDG producer in Taiwan. Any improvement of the production efficiency of the MINItrace™ cyclotron is valuable. A theoretical activity of [ 18 F]FDG has been calculated from the proton stopping power and the interaction cross-section of the 18 O(p,n) 18 F reaction to estimate the efficiency of the production process. A high-sensitivity moderated 3 He neutron detector was installed to investigate the real-time condition of the target irradiation by monitoring the associated neutron production. Based on the results of this study, a graphical user interface program has been developed for operators to arrange the operation conditions and to analyze the performance of the production process. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.