Radiation doses to technologists working with 18 F - FDG in a PET center with high patient capacity

The PET procedure involves the administration of short-lived positron emitting radioisotopes to the body. The choice of PET as diagnostic method is increasing and the inclusion of PET systems as part of an imaging center is becoming more widespread. In our PET center, the number of clinical 18F-FDG PET scans has increased almost to 5000 studies per year. The increasing demand of PET studies for routine clinical diagnosis causes an increased exposure of the staff occupied with PET examination. The high energy tracers used for PET studies essentially require proper shielding between technologists and patients. The highly energetic gamma rays arising from 18F (511 keV) yields a higher whole-body dose to the technologists than that which is received by those working only with conventional nuclear medicine tracers labeled with 99mTc or 123I [7]. Apart from this, the observed radiation dose is related to the amount of activity in the source and the length of time an individual is exposed to the source [3]. The duration of each step of PET imaging varies from technologist to technologist and depends also on the condition of the patient. During PET studies, a Radiation doses to technologists working with 18F-FDG in a PET center with high patient capacity Mustafa Demir, Bayram Demir, Doğan Yaşar, Haluk B. Sayman, Metin Halac, Asm Sabbir Ahmed, Kazım Özcan, Ilhami Uslu