Patient position affects radiation exposure during PET/CT scans

Arm position is a significant factor influencing radiation exposure to patients during whole-body PET/CT scans, according to a team of radiologic technologists in Japan.The finding underscores the importance of considering these factors when evaluating radiation exposure in clinical practice, noted lead author Ken Takada, PhD, of Ogaki Municipal Hospital in Ogaki City, and colleagues.“These findings contribute to a better understanding of the radiation dosimetry associated with different patient positions during WB-PET/CT scans,” the group wrote, in an article published January 4 in Radiography.Generally, to optimize imaging, patients undergo diagnostic head and neck F-18 FDG-PET/CT scans with their arms at the side, and the scans are generally performed with arms above the head when scans are performed on the torso, the authors explained. While both the PET and CT components of these hybrid scans involve radiation exposure, there are few reports about differences in the CT radiation exposure dose to patients based on arm position, they noted.“More accurate understanding of the degree of difference in radiation exposure dose due to arm position is useful information for dose optimization,” the group wrote.To that end, the researchers assessed scans involving 732 oncology patients who underwent F-18 FDG whole-body PET/CT at their hospital between January and June 2019. They divided patients into those scanned in the arm-raised position (n = 545) and arm-lowered positio...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Subspecialties Nuclear Radiology Source Type: news