Assesment of Population Dose from Nuclear Medicine Procedures in Pernambuco (Brazil) During the Period 1990 - 1994

INTRODUCTION The use of radionuclides in medical practice, either for diagnosis or for treatment, has grown steadily in recent years due to the introduction of new radiopharmaceuticals and equipment. Surveys of population doses derived from medical procedures have been conducted in several countries, but in Brazil this information has been scarce or non-existent. We thus decided to undertake a survey of nuclear medicine procedures in the State of Pernambuco, in order to help establish reference levels for nuclear medicine patients in Brazil. Data were gathered on the type of radiopharmaceuticals used, the administered activity, the numbers of each kind of examination, and the age and sex of the patients involved during the period 1990 – 1994, from all nuclear medicine institutes that operate in Recife, the capital of the state of Pernambuco.