title: UK nuclear medicine survey 2003-2004.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This survey was designed to assess the trends in the frequencies of nuclear medicine procedures in the UK and to determine their contributions to the annual collective effective dose to the UK population. The average activities administered by nuclear medicine departments were compared with guidance on diagnostic reference levels issued by the Administration of Radioactive Substances Advisory Committee.
  
  
  METHODS
  The survey was carried out by e-mailing a questionnaire to every known nuclear medicine centre in the UK.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total number of procedures performed annually has increased by 36% over the last 10 years to a level of about 11 procedures per 1000 head of population in the financial year 2003-2004. Seventy-three per cent of all nuclear medicine administrations are for planar imaging, with single-photon emission computed tomography and positron emission tomography contributing 16% and 2%, respectively. Non-imaging diagnostic procedures represent 7% of all nuclear medicine administrations, and therapy 2%. Bone scans continue to be the most frequent procedure. The UK annual collective effective dose from diagnostic nuclear medicine is about 1600 man Sv, resulting in an annual per caput dose of nearly 0.03 mSv. Bone scans are the largest contributor to the collective dose, but myocardium scans are close behind. Planar imaging is responsible for 62% of the total collective effective dose from diagnostic nuclear medicine in the UK, with single-photon emission computed tomography, positron emission tomography and non-imaging contributing 33%, 5% and 0.3%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The practice of nuclear medicine is still expanding in the UK with single-photon emission computed tomography imaging of the myocardium rapidly approaching bone scans as the main contributor to population exposure. The activities administered for most procedures have remained substantially unchanged and adhere closely to those recommended by the Administration of Radioactive Substances Advisory Committee.
authors.affiliation: Radiation Protection Division, Health Protection Agency, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, UK. david.hart@hpa-rp.org.uk
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.forename: Barry F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Wall
mesh_terms: D001822:Body Burden; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D009683:Nuclear Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009684:Nuclear Medicine Department, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012062:Relative Biological Effectiveness; D006113:United Kingdom