SU-E-I-89: Applying Image Gently and Image Wisely in Nuclear Medicine

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Nuclear Medicine
• Radiation Safety

Background:

• Radiation dose reduction is a critical aspect of medical imaging safety.
• Nuclear medicine procedures account for a significant number of annual imaging studies.
• The Image Gently® and Image Wisely™ campaigns provide guidelines for dose optimization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the clinical implementation of Image Gently® and Image Wisely™ principles.
• To evaluate radiopharmaceutical doses in a nuclear medicine department.
• To ensure adherence to national and international radiation dose recommendations.

Main Methods:

• Implemented Image Gently® and Image Wisely™ guidelines as a quality improvement project.
• Compared pediatric radiopharmaceutical doses to North American and European guidelines.
• Compared adult radiopharmaceutical doses to NCRP and IAEA standards.

Main Results:

• Most administered radiopharmaceutical doses were comparable to recommended values.
• Pediatric renogram and adult gastric emptying doses were adjusted to meet guidelines.
• Resultant image quality was evaluated after dose adjustments.

Conclusions:

• Nuclear medicine radiation doses warrant attention, similar to CT dose reduction efforts.
• Departments should benchmark pediatric and adult doses against established guidelines.
• Adjusting non-comparable doses and employing additional dose-reduction strategies are recommended.