Title: Radiation dose rate assessment around patients in PET/CT units

Authors: M.M. Emad El-din; R.M.M. Mahmoud; Ibrahim Eid; M.R. Ezz El-din; R.A. Rizk

Addresses: Radiation Protection Department, Division of Radiation Control, Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority (ENRRA), Cairo, Egypt ' Radiation Protection Department, Division of Radiation Control, Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority (ENRRA), Cairo, Egypt ' Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt ' Radiation Protection Department, Division of Radiation Control, Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority (ENRRA), Cairo, Egypt ' Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract: The objective of this paper is to assess the radiation exposure resulting from radioactive patients injected with different activities of 2-[¹⁸F] fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (¹⁸F-FDG) in Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) units. This objective is fulfilled by measuring the dose rates practically inside and outside PET/CT rooms around radioactive patients using a calibrated survey meter. Afterwards, the dose rates are estimated mathematically using Monte Carlo simulation model. The results show that the dose rates on patient's body surface decrease greatly with distance and it is recommended for PET/CT staff to stand at distances more than 1.5 m from radioactive patients if possible during direct contact. Also, it is found that the shielding thickness in the selected room dimensions is adequate and effective for the γ-radiation arising from radioactive patients. The practically measured dose rates around radioactive patients are quite similar to mathematically predicted results and slight differences may be attributed to the difference between the estimated ¹⁸F biological half life time and real biological half life time due different biological uptake or excretion time from one patient to another.

Keywords: shielding; Monte Carlo; positron emission tomography; computed tomography; FDG; fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose; radioactive patients; dose rate assessment.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNEST.2018.092597

International Journal of Nuclear Energy Science and Technology, 2018 Vol.12 No.1, pp.32 - 44

Received: 16 Dec 2017
Accepted: 12 Feb 2018
Published online: 25 Jun 2018 *

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