Abstract
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Objectives The purpose of this study was to estimate the fetal radiation exposure resulting from 18F-FDG PET imaging scans in pregnant patients with malignancies.
Methods Five pregnant patients with confirmed malignancy who underwent FDG PET imaging studies were retrospectively reviewed. All patients underwent PET-only studies with reduced FDG dose (except for one patient who had a negative pregnancy test immediately prior to the FDG PET procedure but was confirmed to be pregnant a few weeks later). One patient underwent FDG PET imaging twice during her pregnancy (in 2nd and in 3rd trimester). Fetal dose was assessed and analyzed for each subject.
Results Six FDG PET studies in 5 pregnant patients were analyzed. Scans were performed in very early pregnancy (n=1), second trimester (n=2) and third trimester (n=3). The fetal dose exposure from FDG PET studies was estimated to range from 1.1 mGy to 2.43 mGy for various trimesters in pregnancy (except for the patient in very early stages of pregnancy in whom activity in the whole uterus was considered and the fetal dose was estimated to be 9.04 mGy). All patients delivered normal healthy infants at term with no visible abnormalities.
Conclusions The fetal radiation dose from FDG PET studies is quite low and significantly below the threshold dose for deterministic effects due to radiation exposure to the fetus. When medically necessary, performing FDG PET imaging in pregnant patients appears to be potentially safe. The estimated fetal radiation exposure may be slightly lower than existing estimates and as more data becomes available, these may need to be modified
Summary of results for fetal radiation dose
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