Radiation protection for accompanying person and radiation workers in PET/CT

Abstract

The purposes of the present study are to measure the total radiation doses for the radiation workers and for the accompanying person to the patients in positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) imaging. Urines samples from the patients were collected at 43, 62, 87, 117, 238, 362 min after the 555-MBq ¹⁸flour-fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG) injection and activities were measured. Dose rates were recorded using a Geiger–Muller counter and the total radiation doses were measured with using an electronic personnel dosemeter. According to the results here, 18.4 % of ¹⁸F-FDG was excreted in the urine in 117 min after injection. At 117th min after injection, dose rates were determined as 345, 220, 140, 50 and 15 µSv h⁻¹, at proposed distances. The radiation doses after 117 min were measured as 3.92 mSv at 0.1 m, 2.11 mSv at 0.25 m and 1.08 mSv at 0.5 m. In conclusion, radiation protection will be sufficient within 2 h after ¹⁸F-FDG injection for PET/CT imaging in daily practice.