Adverse Events of Diagnostic Radiopharmaceuticals: A Systematic Review

Diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals used in nuclear medicine can cause adverse events. Information on these adverse events is available in case reports and databases but may not be readily accessible to healthcare professionals. This systematic review provides an overview of adverse events of diagnostical radiopharmaceuticals and their characteristics. A median frequency for adverse events in diagnostical radiopharmaceuticals of 1.63 (interquartile range: 1.09-2.29) per 100,000 is reported. Most common are skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders, and general disorders and administration site conditions. Many adverse events reported are minor in severity, although 6.7% can be classified as important. In rare cases, adverse events are serious and potentially life-threatening. With the introduction of new radiopharmaceuticals and the increasing use of positron emission tomography-computed tomography, previously unknown adverse events may be detected in daily practice. Future work should cover the experience of the patient with adverse events from diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals.