External Exposure of Veterinary Staffs and Pet Owners from Feline 99mTc-MAG3 Renal Scintigraphy

Abstract

External exposure of veterinary staffs and owners in veterinary nuclear medicine was estimated by monitoring the surface dose rate (SDR) and ambient dose rate (ADR) from the feline renal patient (n=20) and controls (normal cats, n=8) during and after renal scintigraphy with 99mTc-mercaptoacetyl triglycine (MAG3, dose 93-141 MBq/head). The highest SDR was at the ventral side of abdomen and its SDR-time course followed within the degradation curve with physical half-life (6.01 h) ADR demonstrated significant decrease up to about 100-fold by keeping distance from the patient at 100 cm. All cats showed acceptable SDR which was less than 115 μSv/h in 24 h post injection, where cumulative SDR till infinity was less than 1 mSv (=dose limit to the public). Urination had a conspicuous effect on SDR at 24 h (0.38–9.6 μSv/h) and all urinated cat showed less than 1/10 of the limit of the yearly external public exposure. These results satisfied current legislation in Japan, while the 24 h post-dose regulation was considered over-regulated in the case of sufficiently lower maximum SDR. From the perspective of overburdening animals, their owners, and veterinary clinics, it was considered desirable to determine criteria based on the maximum SDR for each patient.