Estimating the number of ≥100 mSv patients from CT, fluoroscopic guided interventions, and PET exams in 27 OECD countries

Abstract

Purpose

To estimate the number of patients in 27 OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries receiving a cumulative effective dose (CED) ≥100 mSv from recurrent imaging in computed tomography (CT), fluoroscopic guided intervention (FGI), and positron emission tomography (PET) examinations.

Methods

CT and PET utilization and population data for 27 OECD countries were retrieved from a publicly available OECD 2022 report, and FGI utilization data from the European Commission 2015 Report. Data on the number of exams per patient of each modality and the prevalences of ≥100 mSv patients were extracted via a literature review and used to estimate the total number of imaging patients and ≥100 mSv patients in each country.

Results

An estimated 1.36 million patients (0.27 %) received a dose ≥100 mSv among the 513 million residents of the 27 countries. One-third of the countries have more than 3 patients/1,000 population with ≥100 mSv dose in a 5-year period ranging from 1.09 (Finland) to 4.52 (Belgium). A linear trend between the number of ≥100 mSv patients and the total number of CTs in a country was observed, and this can be used for extrapolation at the regional or global level.

Conclusion

This is the first study estimating the number of patients who may have received CED ≥100 mSv through recurrent multimodality (CT, FGI, and PET) exams. With the number of such patients being large, a call for attention is needed from relevant national and international organizations.