Bladder wall radiation dose in humans from fluorine-18-FDOPA.
PET, in conjunction with 18F-fluorodopa (FDOPA), has become the standard technique to assess basal ganglia degeneration in patients with movement disorders. Based on published dosimetry data, the injected dose of FDOPA is limited to 111 Mbq (3 mCi) because of exposure to the bladder wall, which is the critical organ for such studies. These dosimetry studies are based on mathematical models for the bladder radioactivity accumulation and clearance when the subjects were asked to void approximately 2 hr after the intravenous injection of FDOPA. In this study, we improved the radiation dose estimate to the bladder wall using dynamic PET to image the bladder during the uptake phase as well as before and after voiding.


METHODS
The subjects were tested on a new protocol. They were hydrated preinjection and given a first bladder void break at 40 min postinjection and a second void at the end of study at 120 min.


RESULTS
The MIRD model, applied to the data collected from 10 adults of both sexes, yielded an average absorbed dose of 0.15 +/- 0.08 mGy/MBq (0.57 +/- 0.28 rad/mCi).


CONCLUSIONS
This absorbed dose is significantly lower than previous estimates and allows for FDOPA injections up to 333 Mbq (9 mCi).
Dhawan
V
V
Department of Neurology, Research and Medicine, North Shore University Hospital/Cornell University Medical College, Manhasset, New York 11030, USA.
Belakhlef
A
A
Robeson
W
W
Ishikawa
T
T
Margouleff
C
C
Takikawa
S
S
Chaly
T
T
Kazumata
K
K
Margouleff
D
D
Eidelberg
D
D
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D005260:Female; D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000528:radiation effects*
D005462:Fluorine Radioisotopes; C043437:fluorodopa F 18; D004295:Dihydroxyphenylalanine