Skip to main content

Radiation Risk

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Conventional Nuclear Medicine in Pediatrics

Abstract

The practice of nuclear medicine leads to a potential risk of exposure for the patient. The activity of radiopharmaceutical should be administered in order to guarantee the correct balance between risks and benefits. In the last years, the introduction of technological advances, the increased availability of scanning equipment, and new radiopharmaceuticals lead to an intensified use of nuclear medicine examinations. On the one hand, these improvements involved in a remarkable progress in image quality; on the other hand, technological advances do not necessarily imply a decrease in patient exposure to ionizing radiation. The implementation of radiation protection practices aimed to limit radiation exposure in nuclear medicine exams is an utmost need. For pediatric patient, a more attention has to be paid as they have higher tissue radiosensitivity and longer life expectancy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Bibliography

  1. Alessio AM, Farrell MB, Fahey FH. Role of reference levels in nuclear medicine: a report of the SNMMI dose optimization task force. J Nucl Med. 2015;56(12):1960–4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Attix FH. Introduction to radiological physics and radiation dosimetry. New York: Wiley; 1986.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  3. Bailey DL, Humm JL, Todd-Pokropek A, Van Aswegen A. Nuclear medicine physics: a handbook for teachers and students. Vienna: International Atomic Energy Agency; 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Bolch WE, et al. MIRD pamphlet no. 17: the dosimetry of non-uniform activity distributions: radionuclide S values at the voxel level. J Nucl Med. 1999;40(Suppl):11S–36.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Council directive 97/43/EURATOM of 30 June 1997 on health protection of individuals against the dangers of ionising radiation in relation to medical exposure. Off J Eur Comm, No L 180.

    Google Scholar 

  6. European Commission. Radiation protection n. 109. Guidance on diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for medical exposures. 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  7. European Commission. Radiation protection n. 180. Diagnostic reference levels in thirty-six European countries. 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Fahey FH, Stabin M. Dose optimization in nuclear medicine. Semin Nucl Med. 2014;44:193–201.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Fahey FH, Treves ST, Adelstein SJ. Minimizing and communicating radiation risk in pediatric nuclear medicine. J Nucl Med. 2011;52(8):1240–51.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Health risks from exposure to low levels of ionizing radiation: BEIR VII Phase 2. 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  11. ICRP. The 2007 recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. ICRP publication 103. Ann ICRP. 2007;37(2–4):1–332.

    Google Scholar 

  12. ICRP. Radiation dose to patients from radiopharmaceuticals – addendum 3 to ICRP publication 53. ICRP publication 106. Ann ICRP. 2008;38(1–2):1–197.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. ICRP. Radiological protection and safety in medicine. ICRP publication 73. Ann ICRP. 1996;26(2).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Johns HE, Cunningham JR. The physics of radiology. 4th ed. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas; 1983.

    Google Scholar 

  15. National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, Report No. 136. Evaluation of the linear-nonthreshold dose-response model for ionizing radiation. 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Siegel JA, et al. MIRD pamphlet no. 16: techniques for quantitative radiopharmaceutical biodistribution data acquisition and analysis for use in human radiation dose estimates. J Nucl Med. 1999;40:37S–61.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Stabin MG, Sparks RB, Crowe E. OLINDA/EXM: the second-generation personal computer software for internal dose assessment in nuclear medicine. J Nucl Med. 2005;46:1023–7.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vittorio Cannatà .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Cannatà, V., Genovese, E., Longo, M. (2017). Radiation Risk. In: Garganese, M., D'Errico, G. (eds) Conventional Nuclear Medicine in Pediatrics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43181-9_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43181-9_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-43179-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-43181-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics