Fetal outcome after technetium scintigraphy in early pregnancy.
OBJECTIVE
Occasionally, either for urgent diagnostic reasons or by accident, pregnant women are exposed to technetium scintigraphy, the consequences of which were unknown, due to lack of systematic data. Therefore, clinical data was needed to assess the risk and safety of technetium scintigraphy with respect to prenatal development.


METHODS
Requests for information with regard to technetium scintigraphy from pregnant women or their physicians were followed by the Berlin Institute for Clinical Teratology. A prospective observational cohort study was performed using data collected between 1991 and 2008. Pregnancy outcome for a cohort of pregnant women exposed to Tc-99m-scintigraphy of thyroid (n=102) or bone (n=20) during pregnancy was compared with a control group without teratogenic exposure (n=366).


RESULTS
Major birth defects were no more common in the study group than in the control group (OR 1.00; 95% CI 0.23-3.38) and no specific pattern of birth defects was found. Spontaneous abortion rate (OR 0.51), preterm deliveries, and birth measurements of newborns were not significantly different from controls.


CONCLUSIONS
This prospective observational study suggests that the inadvertent exposure to Tc-99m-scintigraphy in early pregnancy is relatively safe for the fetus.
Schaefer
Christof
C
Pharmakovigilanz- und Beratungszentrum für Embryonaltoxikologie (BBGes), Berlin Institute for Clinical Teratology and Drug Risk Assessment in Pregnancy, Spandauer Damm 130, Haus 10, Berlin 14050, Germany. schaefer@embryotox.de
Meister
Reinhard
R
Wentzeck
René
R
Weber-Schoendorfer
Corinna
C
D000014:Abnormalities, Drug-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000009:adverse effects; D055815:Young Adult
D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals