title: Assessment of radiation dose in nuclear cardiovascular imaging using realistic computational models.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Nuclear cardiology plays an important role in clinical assessment and has enormous impact on the management of a variety of cardiovascular diseases. Pediatric patients at different age groups are exposed to a spectrum of radiation dose levels and associated cancer risks different from those of adults in diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures. Therefore, comprehensive radiation dosimetry evaluations for commonly used myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) and viability radiotracers in target population (children and adults) at different age groups are highly desired.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using Monte Carlo calculations and biological effects of ionizing radiation VII model, we calculate the S-values for a number of radionuclides (Tl-201, Tc-99m, I-123, C-11, N-13, O-15, F-18, and Rb-82) and estimate the absorbed dose and effective dose for 12 MPI radiotracers in computational models including the newborn, 1-, 5-, 10-, 15-yr-old, and adult male and female computational phantoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For most organs, (201)Tl produces the highest absorbed dose whereas (82)Rb and (15)O-water produce the lowest absorbed dose. For the newborn baby and adult patient, the effective dose of (82)Rb is 48% and 77% lower than that of (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin (rest), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  (82)Rb results in lower effective dose in adults compared to (99m)Tc-labeled tracers. However, this advantage is less apparent in children. The produced dosimetric databases for various radiotracers used in cardiovascular imaging, using new generation of computational models, can be used for risk-benefit assessment of a spectrum of patient population in clinical nuclear cardiology practice.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva 4 CH-1211, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Tianwu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20852.
authors.forename: Choonsik
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Departments of Nuclear & Radiological and Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611.
authors.forename: Wesley E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Bolch
authors.affiliation: Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva 4 CH-1211, Switzerland; Geneva Neuroscience Center, Geneva University, Geneva CH-1205, Switzerland; and Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen 9700 RB, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Habib
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zaidi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D055414:Myocardial Perfusion Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009683:Nuclear Medicine; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011849:Radioactive Tracers; D011874:Radiometry
chemical_list: D011849:Radioactive Tracers