PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Griff, M
AU  - Berthold, T
AU  - Buck, A
TI  - Radiation exposure to sonographers from fluorine-18-FDG PET patients.
DP  - 2000 Sep 01
TA  - Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
PG  - 186--187
VI  - 28
IP  - 3
4099  - http://tech.snmjournals.org/content/28/3/186.short
4100  - http://tech.snmjournals.org/content/28/3/186.full
SO  - J. Nucl. Med. Technol.2000 Sep 01; 28
AB  - We estimated the amount of radiation exposure to sonographers from patients who were injected with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) at 2 and 3 h postinjection.We studied 8 patients who were given between 380-420 MBq 18F-FDG. The patients were measured with a RADOS RDS-120 dosimeter between 2 and 3 h after FDG injection. The dosimetry measurement was taken at a distance of 0.5 m from the injected patient, a distance used by a sonographer to perform an abdominal ultrasound. Measurements were taken at the levels of the sonographer's shoulder, abdomen, and gonads.At the first measurement at 2 h, the mean exposures to the shoulder, abdomen, and gonads of the sonographer in pSv/h were 31.9+/-11.3, 37.1+/-9.5, and 32.8+/-11.8, respectively. At 3 h, the mean exposures to the shoulder, abdomen, and gonads were 21.5+/-4.2, 20.2+/-5.8, and 19.6+/-4.9, respectively.The amount of radiation exposure to a sonographer is minimal. Radiation exposure risks should be considered, however, if the sonographer comes into daily, repeated contact with patients who have been given 18F-FDG.