Estimation of patient organ and whole-body doses in [F-18-FDG] PET/CT scan

The object of this study was to estimate organ doses and whole-body effective doses from positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scan using [fluorine-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (F-18-FDG) in adult patients and to assess the CT component contribution to organ and whole-body doses. The [F-18-FDG] PET/CT scan was conducted on 204 adult patients (90 females and 114 males). For all patients, females and males, the whole-body effective doses were 20.54, 23.89 and 17.89 mSv, respectively. For all patients, females and males, the CT component contribution to the whole-body effective dose was 66, 71 and 62%, respectively. Since CT is the primary contributor to the effective dose in the [F-18-FDG] PET/CT scan protocol, the significance of improving CT protocols to minimize patient dose is underscored. All attempts must be made, using available mechanisms and techniques, to reduce the patient's dose of PET/CT scan, especially in obese patients.