title: Prevalence of adverse events to radiopharmaceuticals from 2007 to 2011.
abstract: We studied the changing patterns of radiopharmaceutical use and the incidence of adverse events (AEs) to PET radiopharmaceuticals, non-PET radiopharmaceuticals, and adjunctive nonradioactive pharmaceuticals in nuclear medicine from 2007 to 2011.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen academic institutions submitted quarterly reports of radiopharmaceutical use and AEs covering 2007-2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  1,024,177 radiopharmaceutical administrations were monitored: 207,281 diagnostic PET, 803,696 diagnostic non-PET, and 13,200 therapeutic. In addition, 112,830 adjunctive nonradioactive pharmaceutical administrations were monitored. The annual use of bone scintigraphy and radiotracer therapies was unchanged. PET radiopharmaceutical use increased from 17% to 26% of diagnostic procedures (P < 0.01). The incidence of radiopharmaceutical AEs was 2.1/10(5) administrations, with no hospitalizations or deaths.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From 2007 to 2011, PET studies increased, and therapeutic radiopharmaceutical use and bone scintigraphy were unchanged. Over 2 decades, the incidence of AEs has remained stable at 2.1-2.3/10(5) dosages.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Radiology and Medicine, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio edward.silberstein@uchealth.com.
authors.forename: Edward B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Silberstein
mesh_terms: D000047:Academies and Institutes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D015995:Prevalence; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012449:Safety
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals
keywords: adverse events; nuclear medicine safety; radiopharmaceuticals