Adressing Operational Changes in time and radioactive activity administered following the introduction of PET-CT Equipment with New Technologies: A Retrospective Analysis

Decreased radioactive activity to be injected in individuals for diagnostic exams performed on Positrons emission Tomography associated with Computed Tomography is becoming mandatory since the patient protection is one of the pillars for Radiation Protection. The technological advance opens the possibility to demonstrate this activity reduction as well as time reduction during the exam, which allow a better convinience to population, and still maintaining the quality of the diagnose. This study investigates operational changes observed after the introduction of a new PET-CT scanner (PET2), focusing on reductions in administered radioactive activity and acquisition time. The results show significant decreases in these parameters compared to a prior system (PET1). The scope of the study is limited to describing these operational impacts, based on the manteinance of diagnostic image quality support by the physician criteria.