The radiation dose to surgical personnel during intraoperative radioimmunoscintimetry.
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.
Bares
R
R
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Technical University of Aachen, Federal Republic of Germany.
Müller
B
B
Fass
J
J
Buell
U
U
Schumpelick
V
V
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
D013670:Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m