Department of Medical Radiography, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria;
Nuclear Medicine Centre, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
J Nucl Med Technol. 2021 Dec;49(4):339-343. doi: 10.2967/jnmt.121.262084. Epub 2021 Jul 30.
It is of vital importance to optimize the radiation dose to patients undergoing radionuclide bone scanning. This is one of the most common nuclear medicine procedures in many parts of the world, including Nigeria, and the current study was performed as part of a national survey to establish diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for common nuclear medicine procedures in Nigeria in order to optimize their use. Nuclear medicine was only recently introduced to the health-care system in Nigeria, with only 2 centers presently conducting these procedures. A retrospective, cross-sectional study was performed in the nuclear medicine department of a tertiary hospital in southwest Nigeria to determine the preliminary local DRL for radionuclide bone scanning. One hundred and nine patients who met the study criteria were included. Data were obtained from June 2017 to March 2019 and were analyzed to obtain the third quartile of the distributed administered activity and achievable dose (anthropometric variables and radiation dose to bone surface). The mean administered activity, achievable dose, and DRL were 833.98 ± 106.93, 832.5, and 895.4 MBq, respectively. The calculated preliminary local DRL was larger than values reported in studies done in Sudan, the United Kingdom, and Australia or by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. The preliminary DRL from this first-of-its-kind study in Nigeria was high because of practitioners' lack of experience. However, the values were still within the international best-practice range, which when optimized will go a long way toward reducing medical exposure without compromising image quality.
优化接受放射性核素骨扫描的患者的辐射剂量至关重要。这是世界上许多地区（包括尼日利亚）最常见的核医学程序之一，当前的研究是在一项旨在为尼日利亚常见核医学程序建立诊断参考水平 (DRL) 的全国性调查的一部分进行的，以优化这些程序的使用。核医学最近才被引入尼日利亚的医疗保健系统，目前只有 2 个中心开展这些程序。在尼日利亚西南部的一家三级医院的核医学科进行了一项回顾性、横断面研究，以确定放射性核素骨扫描的初步本地 DRL。符合研究标准的 109 名患者被纳入研究。数据于 2017 年 6 月至 2019 年 3 月获得，并进行了分析，以获得分布的给予活性和可实现剂量（人体测量变量和骨表面的辐射剂量）的第三个四分位数。给予的平均活性、可实现的剂量和 DRL 分别为 833.98 ± 106.93、832.5 和 895.4 MBq。计算出的初步本地 DRL 大于在苏丹、英国和澳大利亚进行的研究或国际辐射防护委员会报告的值。由于从业者缺乏经验，尼日利亚首例此类研究的初步 DRL 较高。但是，这些值仍在国际最佳实践范围内，优化后将大大降低医疗照射，而不会影响图像质量。
