Radiation exposure in nuclear cardiovascular studies.

Abstract

Nuclear cardiovascular studies are being introduced in almost every Nuclear Medicine Department. The number of studies performed per week is increasing very rapidly. The physical characteristics including the specific gamma ray constant for radionuclides used in cardiovascular studies are listed. The radiation dose estimates to different organs of a patient administered with 201Tl and 99mTc radiopharmaceuticals are shown. The radiation levels measured around patients administered with 201Tl chloride, 99mTc HSA (human serum albumin), and 99mTc-MDP (methylene diphosphonate) are within the permissible limits. Radiation doses to different organs from nuclear cardiovascular studies are less than those associated with fluoroscopy, particularly cardiac catheterization. However, the gonadal doses received from cardiac catheterization and angiocardiography are considerably lower than nuclear cardiovascular studies.