[Survey questionnaire of pediatric nuclear medicine examinations in 14 Japanese institutes]

Under the auspices of the Japanese Society of Pediatric Nuclear Medicine, an annual aggregate from a 5-year period, 2007 to 2011, of a survey questionnaire of pediatric nuclear medicine examinations performed at 14 institutes in the Kanto region was conducted. The subjects were pediatric patients 15 years old or younger. The survey questions included the determination method for administered dose of radiopharmaceuticals, the items examined and number of examinations. Of 14 institutes, 11 determined administered doses using the formula: adult dose X (age +1) / (age+7), while the remaining 3 used the adult dose as the maximum dose and used a conversion formula based on age and physical condition. In 2011, in a total of 3,884 pediatric patients, renoscintigraphy accounted for 41.5%, brain 14.4%, pulmonary scintigraphy 12.9%, oncology 9.0%, hepatobiliary scintigraphy 6.3%, gastrointestinal scintigraphy 4.8%, musculoskeletal scintigraphy 4.3%, cardiology 2.5%, and other 4.9% of all nuclear medicine examinations. Pediatric nuclear medicine examinations in general hospitals accounted for only 3.4% of all examinations. A similar trend was observed in previous years. Since pediatric patients have a longer reproductive term and higher sensitivity to radiation exposure, pediatric nuclear medicine requires a strict selection of appropriate studies and administered dose. These results show the current practice and would warrant further consideration.