technetium Tc 99m hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime

technetium Tc 99m hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime

Abbreviation: HMPAO
A radioactive tracer consisting of technetium-99m linked to hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime. It is used to make nuclear imaging scans of the brain, e.g., in the determination of brain death. Absence of uptake of the molecule by the brain is diagnostic of brain death. See also: technetium-99m