Objective: This study examined the movement of the soluble ion technetium Tc 99m across the ovine placenta and intramembranous pathway.
Study design: Nineteen fetal sheep at 131 +/- 1 (SE) days' gestation were studied. After a 1-hour control period technetium Tc 99m was injected into either a fetal vein (n = 7), the amniotic cavity (n = 5), or a maternal vein (n = 5). Maternal and fetal blood, fetal urine, and amniotic and allantoic fluid were sampled during the control period and for 8 hours after the injection. Fetal urine was drained externally throughout the experiment. In five animals technetium Tc 99m was injected intraamniotically after the fetus was killed with air emboli and sampled as described.
Results: Intrafetally injected technetium Tc 99m rapidly crossed the placenta; then it entered and was concentrated in the amniotic cavity. Intraamniotically injected technetium Tc 99m rapidly entered into the fetal circulation. The maternally injected technetium Tc 99m rapidly crossed the placenta into the fetus, suggesting a half-time for placental exchange of < 50 minutes. The technetium Tc 99m injected into the dead fetus group demonstrated significantly less maternal absorption than in the live fetus group.
Conclusions: The soluble ion technetium Tc 99m demonstrated a much more rapid movement in both directions across the ovine placenta then previously demonstrated for the smaller ion sodium. Technetium Tc 99m rapidly crossed the intramembranous pathway bidirectionally, suggesting a high permeability of the intramembranous pathway. Minimal maternal absorption of technetium Tc 99m in the dead fetus group suggests little transmembranous absorption by the mother.