title: The radiation dose to surgical personnel during intraoperative radioimmunoscintimetry.
abstract: To estimate the radiation exposure to surgical personnel caused by intraoperative radioimmunoscintimetry, we measured dose rates at different distances from patients who had been injected with 950 MBq technetium-99m-labelled intact carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-specific antibodies (Szintimun CEA, Behring AG Marburg, FRG) for immunoscintigraphy 24 h earlier. At 0.05 m (corresponding to working positions during surgery) we found 2.0-16.0 microSv h-1 (average 6.4), which is similar to results for nuclear medicine staff. Thus, if radioimmunoscintimetry is to become a routine procedure, according to national regulations in some countries of the European Communities surgical personnel might be regarded as professionally exposed to radiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Technical University of Aachen, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bares
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fass
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Buell
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Schumpelick
mesh_terms: D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D013502:General Surgery; D006801:Humans; D007430:Intraoperative Care; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011835:Radiation Protection; D016719:Radioimmunodetection; D013670:Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m
chemical_list: D013670:Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m