Recent Survey of Effective Doses of F-18 FDG Torso PET/CT in Korea and the Current Recommendations for CT Protocols of PET/CT

Abstract

Purpose This study aimed to construct a database of the effective doses (ED) from F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) torso positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in Korea to provide data that supports the reduction of the CT dose of PET/CT and optimization of PET/CT protocols in Korea. Methods We investigated data of ED and CT parameters of FDG PET/CT. The data were analyzed by body weight groups. Results A total of 31 hospitals participated in the survey (99 adults). The mean total EDs (+/- SD) were 8.77 +/- 2.76, 10.93 +/- 3.14, and 12.57 +/- 3.79 mSv for the 55-, 70-, and 85-kg groups, respectively. The FDG EDs were 4.80 +/- 0.98, 6.05 +/- 1.15, and 6.89 +/- 1.52 mSv, and the CT EDs were 4.00 +/- 2.12, 4.88 +/- 2.51, and 5.68 +/- 2.89 mSv, respectively. Of the enrolled hospitals, 54.5% used ultra-low-dose CT protocols, and their CT ED was significantly lower than low-dose CT group in all groups (2.9 +/- 1.0, 3.2 +/- 1.1, and 3.3 +/- 1.0 mSv vs. 6.6 +/- 1.6, 7.2 +/- 2.1, and 7.9 +/- 2.2 mSv, allp < 0.001, respectively). In the ultra-low-dose CT group, the CT ED with the iterative reconstruction was significantly lower than that of CT without iterative reconstruction in the 55-kg group (2.4 +/- 0.9 vs. 3.3 +/- 0.9,p = 0.04). Conclusions These results and current recommendations can be helpful for optimizing PET/CT diagnostic reference level (DRL) and reducing unnecessary PET/CT radiation exposure.