Synovetin is radioactive tin that is suspended in colloid which is injected into arthritic joints to provide pain relief for 1 year or more. A patient can receive only one treatment with Synovetin per year. Macrophages and synoviocytes are destroyed by Synovetin after the material is phagocytosed, thus the synovitis is abated.
Synovetin radioactivity half life is 14 days. Therefore, it is 50% less radioactive every 2 weeks. By 3 months there is no additional radioactivity, but the pain-relieving effect is prolonged.
Synovetin is not excreted in the urine or feces, it stays contained within the joint.
The amount of radiation released from an elbow is minimal, but this fact should not be ignored. The total amount of radiation emitted from a dog injected with Synovetin is 25 millicurie; the amount of radiation that a person will absorb when going on a airplane flight from coast to coast in the USA is 40 millicurie.
Pet owners whose pets receive Synovetin will have some contact restriction for 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the essential behavioral contact (typical pet versus pet owner bed sleeper).
Synovetin treatments are completed on an outpatient basis.
Synovetin has no known systemic side effects other than temporary pain which may last for 1 to 3 days after injection.
How a veterinarian at ASCM can become an authorized user of Synovetin
Completed Authorized User (AU) training detailed below. Any of our doctors can become an authorized user of Synovetin, but must go through training as detailed in the link below.
Any LVT or veterinary assistant must have training in Synovetin in order to be a part of the team conducting this treatment. This means that this powerpoint below must be watched and an exam completed on the Synovetin website. Also please go to the link below to get certified to be a user.
Our radiation safety officer is Laura Smith. She oversees our program to ensure safety at ACSM. Emergency situations regarding Synovetin should be alerted to Dr. Dan Degner and then he will alert Laura Smith. The proper chain of command is essential.
The Radiation Safety Department of the government inspects our facility on a regular basis and receives reports annually regarding all cases receiving Synovetin. Our facility passed the inspection without any citations.
All personal must abide by rules set out by the NRC. Training is essential to ensure that proper safety measures are taken as shown in the video below:
Training The link can be used by our staff. To access the online training modules, go to the below link:
After registration, you can login, then you’ll be taken to the veterinary nuclear medicine training area. The training modules are located in the “training and certification” section. Since you’re going to be a new Authorized User, you will need to take the “Authorized User Training”, which consists of 8 modules (and 8 RACE CEs) all related to physics, radioactivity, radiation biology etc. You’ll also need to take the middle training course: “Synovetin OA Practical Use…”. This training course is specific to the use of Synovetin OA and follows the entire process from a regulatory perspective. There are supplemental materials available for download as a reference which will be valuable when the times comes to use Synovetin OA. This training content can also be downloaded to use as a training tool for other staff at your practice at your discretion (CVTs, RVTs, nursing staff etc).
