Development of an automated electroplater and dosimetry system for the electrodeposition and quality control of radioactive stents

An automated electrodeposition system for the preparation of radioactive stents and an automated dosimetry system based on the Optidos β-scintillation detector for the quality control of the radioactive stents have been developed. Custom-made application software programmed in Visual Basic was used to control liquid flow and electroplating currents in the electrodeposition system, and to run the dual motion actuator and radiation detector for the automated measurement of the radioactivity distribution. The automation of the electroplating process increased the precision, ease, repeatability, and radiation safety of the process. The radioactive β-emitting 188Re stents might be useful for the treatment of patients with inoperable lung cancer.