Abstract
Background
We determined staff radiation dose during rest and stress rubidium 82 myocardial perfusion positron emission tomography (PET) imaging.
Methods and Results
Patients received 1587 ± 163 MBq (42.9 ± 4.4 mCi) Rb-82 during rest or pharmacologic stress. A pressurized ion chamber was used to monitor radiation exposure in 50 examinations. For comparison, staff exposure during pharmacologic stress in 20 other patients receiving 1204 ± 55.5 MBq (32.54 ± 1.5 mCi) technetium 99m 2-methoxy isobutyl isonitrile (MIBI) was measured. For Rb-82 infusion and PET acquisition, the mean dose was 0.45 ± 0.25 μSv (0.045 ± 0.025 mrem). Exposure for routine stress testing at variable distances from the patient was equivalent to background. Similar exposure for pharmacologic stress testing through 7 minutes after injection of Tc-99m MIBI at variable distances was 1.075 ± 0.32 μSv (0.108 ± 0.03 mrem). However, exposure for stress tests starting 7 minutes after Rb-82 infusion at 0.5 m was estimated at 0.4 μSv (0.04 mrem). To determine the potential radiation dose for those responding to a medical emergency or otherwise in close proximity to a patient, we measured the mean cumulative dose at 0.5 m from 0 to 7 minutes of Rb-82 infusion, which resulted in 19.1 ± 5.8 μSv (1.9 ± 0.58 mrem).
Conclusions
Radiation doses for all tasks during routine Rb-82 stress-rest PET are lower than measured Tc-99m MIBI values. However, the radiation dose in close proximity to the patient during or immediately after Rb-82 infusion can be considerably higher, underscoring the need for strict attention to source distance and contact times.
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AR Schleipman is a recipient of a research grant funded by the Society of Nuclear Medicine Technologist Section Professional Development and Education Fund (SNM-PDEF), which partially supported this work.
An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nuclcard.2006.06.127.
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Schleipman, A.R., Castronovo, F.P., Carli, M.F.D. et al. Occupational radiation dose associated with Rb-82 myocardial perfusion positron emission tomography imaging. J Nucl Cardiol 13, 378–384 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nuclcard.2006.03.001
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nuclcard.2006.03.001