Patient radiation dose assessment system for diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures: Implementation and first results

Abstract

Dose assessment of diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures is necessary to further optimize respective procedure, estimate radiation risk, improve radiation safety and verify compliance of local practice with guidelines. In line with Council Directive 2013/59/EURATOM, patient medical documentation should include information related to radiation exposure. The aim of this work is to present the patient radiation dose assessment system designed for routine clinical use, that uses in-house designed worksheets for dose calculation based on relevant parameters introduced by the ICRP publications. Dose reports provide information about the absorbed dose delivered to the target and non-target organs of interest and the effective dose for each diagnostic procedure. The data from the dose reports was used to investigate average patient exposure levels during a one-year period and the results are presented. The implemented system has improved the quality of services provided and understanding of radiation risks. Moreover, the presented results have stimulated further optimization of nuclear medicine processes.

Keywords

• nuclear medicine
• radiation risk
• effective dose assessment
• administered activity
• low-dose computed tomography