title: Radiation Dose from Whole-Body F-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography: Nationwide Survey in Korea.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to estimate average radiation exposure from (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) examinations and to analyze possible factors affecting the radiation dose. A nation-wide questionnaire survey was conducted involving all institutions that operate PET/CT scanners in Korea. From the response, radiation doses from injected FDG and CT examination were calculated. A total of 105 PET/CT scanners in 73 institutions were included in the analysis (response rate of 62.4%). The average FDG injected activity was 310 ± 77 MBq and 5.11 ± 1.19 MBq/kg. The average effective dose from FDG was estimated to be 5.89 ± 1.46 mSv. The average CT dose index and dose-length product were 4.60 ± 2.47 mGy and 429.2 ± 227.6 mGy∙cm, which corresponded to 6.26 ± 3.06 mSv. The radiation doses from FDG and CT were significantly lower in case of newer scanners than older ones (P < 0.001). Advanced PET technologies such as time-of-flight acquisition and point-spread function recovery were also related to low radiation dose (P < 0.001). In conclusion, the average radiation dose from FDG PET/CT is estimated to be 12.2 mSv. The radiation dose from FDG PET/CT is reduced with more recent scanners equipped with image-enhancing algorithms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.; Department of Molecular Medicine and Biopharmaceutical Science, Graduate school of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun Woo
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0597-837X
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea .
authors.forename: Jong Phil
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3359-2933
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea .
authors.forename: Hong Jae
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7400-5934
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.; Institute of Radiation Medicine, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jin Chul
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7464-9342
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Paeng
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea .
authors.forename: Jae Sung
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7623-053X
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.; Institute of Radiation Medicine, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Gi Jeong
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1360-5186
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Cheon
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.; Department of Molecular Medicine and Biopharmaceutical Science, Graduate school of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.; Institute of Radiation Medicine, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong Soo
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1627-6557
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.; Institute of Radiation Medicine, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: June-Key
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6866-8571
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.; Institute of Radiation Medicine, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Keon Wook
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2622-9017
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D051598:Whole Body Imaging
chemical_list: D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
keywords: Dose Reference Level; FDG PET/CT; National Survey; Radiation Exposure