Establishment of National Diagnostic Reference Level for Thyroid Gland Radiation Doses in Nuclear Medicine Department in Khartoum-Sudan

Abstract

A diagnostic reference level (DRL) is an investigational level used to identify unusual high radiation doses in Nuclear Medicine procedures. DRLs are suggested action levels above which a facility should review its methods and determine if acceptable image quality can be achieved at lower doses. In order to evaluate the radiological risk incurred by patients diagnosed at the Department of Nuclear Medicine (DNM), the high specific activity of 99mTc makes it suitable as a first pass agent, for multiple or sequential studies. is preferred to 99mTc - pertechnetate. The aim of this study was the investigation of absorbed dose to the thyroid during technetium-99m thyroid scan. Patients who had been prepared for the thyroid scan were divided to four groups.the first group received dose zero to 4.5 mCi are represent (17.03 %) from all patients, second group received dose 4.5 to 5 mCi are represent (31.67 %) and the third group received dose from 5 to 5.3 mCi are represent (46.31 %) four group received dose above 5.4 to 5.6 mCi are represent(4.99) from all patients . This study showed that 95% from all thyroid patients tacked dose less than international reference levels activity. The study showed that a dose of more than 6mci can be use for high-weight patients, therefore this study can be considered as a basis for the establishment of dose reference level activity for thyroid scan of nuclear medicine departments in Sudan.