Objectives: To systematically review the published data regarding the cumulative exposure to radiation in selected cohorts of adults or paediatric patients due to diagnostic nuclear medicine examinations.
Methods: We conducted PubMed/Medline searches of peer-reviewed papers on cumulated effective dose (CED) from diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures published between 01 January 2010 until 31 January 2021. Studies were considered eligible if the contribution of nuclear medicine examinations to total CED was >10%. Studies reporting cumulative doses in a single episode of care or in a limited time (≤1 year) were excluded. The main outcomes for which data were sought were the CED accrued by patients, the period in which the CED was accrued, the percentage of patients with CED > 100 mSv and the percentage contribution due to nuclear medicine procedures to the overall CED.
Results: The studies included in the synthesis were 18 which enrolled a total of 1,76,371 patients. Eleven (1,757 patients), three (1,74,079 patients) and four (535 patients) were related to oncological, cardiologic and transplanted patients, respectively. All the studies were retrospective; some of the source materials referred to small number of patients and some of the patients were followed for a short time. Not many studies accurately quantified the contribution of nuclear medicine procedures to the overall radiation exposure due to medical imaging. Finally, most of the studies covered an observation period which extended mainly in the 2000-2010 decade.
Conclusions: There is a need of prospective, multicentric studies enrolling a greater number of patients, followed for longer period in selected groups of patients to fully capture the cumulative exposure to radiation in these settings.
Advances in knowledge: This systematic review allows to identify selected group of patients with a specific health status in which the cumulated exposure to radiation may be of concern and where the contribution of nuclear medicine procedures to the total CED is significant.