Aims and objectives
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/ Computed Tomography (CT) is a hybrid diagnostic technique which is used in medicine and biomedical research.
One of the main advantages of this technique is the in vivo study of the metabolism of normal or pathological tissues.
[1] PET/CT imaging is employed in nuclear medicine field and it utilizes short-lived radionuclides emitting positrons and provides molecular imaging of the organs.
PET whole body imaging is a useful tool to identify early disease,
distinguish benign from malignant lesions,
inspect all organs for...
Methods and materials
Radiation dose in a CT scanner is expressed as the Computed Tomography Dose Index (CTDI) and it measures the average absorbed dose of adjacent slices.
CTDI is calculated as CTDI=2/3 CTDI100 (periphery) + 1/3 CTDI100 (centre).
[1] The values of CTDIvol for whole-body examinations were determined by the operator's console of the scanner.
Many organizations in Europe,
such as International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP),
have determined DRLs for diagnostic CT procedures based on the 75th percentile of CTDI values.
[6],
[7],
[8]
Patient age,...
Results
Whole-body examinations in PET/CT were performed on a sample of 368 patients,
203 males and 165 females.
Mean values,
standard deviation (SD),
minimum and maximum values of patient’s age,
weight,
height,
body mass index (BMI) administered activities,
CTDIvol and DLP,
are presented in Table 1.
The mean,
median and 75th percentiles for CTDIvol were 5.12 mGy,
4.59 mGy and 6.03 mGy,
respectively.
The mean value of activity was 355.05 MBq,
as well the median was 358.45 MBq.
The estimation of Pearson’s coefficient revealed a strong...
Conclusion
The results of this work provide no significant differences compared to other similar studies and these local DRLs could be recommended for optimization of the national DRLs in whole-body PET/CT procedures.
This study was limited to whole-body examinations.
Further studies are required regarding different protocols and larger samples at local level in order to optimize national diagnostic reference levels.
References
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"Patient dosimetry audit for establishing local diagnostic reference levels for nuclear...