Undesirable events with radiopharmaceuticals.

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Radiopharmacology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Radiopharmaceuticals are vital for nuclear medicine diagnostics and therapeutics.
• Undesirable reactions, including adverse and false positive events, are underreported in clinical practice.
• Clear definitions of adverse and false positive reactions are essential for accurate reporting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compile information on undesirable reactions associated with radiopharmaceuticals.
• To serve as a reference for nuclear medicine professionals.
• To highlight the incidence of adverse and false positive reactions.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature review was conducted from 1957 to January 2009.
• The review followed criteria established by the Cochrane Collaboration.
• Data on adverse and false positive reactions to radiopharmaceuticals were extracted.

Main Results:

• Six cases of adverse reactions were identified: 2 with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and 4 with technetium 99m ((99m)Tc).
• One case involved anaphylaxis from (99m)Tc-labeled sestamibi.
• Eight cases of false positive reactions were reported with FDG.

Conclusions:

• Radiopharmaceuticals are associated with adverse and false positive reactions.
• Increased reporting of these events is necessary.
• A global effort is recommended to document adverse events and false positives involving radiopharmaceuticals.