TH‐A‐330D‐01: PET ‐ Radiation Safety and Shielding Requirements

PET/CT imaging is a relatively new imaging modality that has become standard‐of‐care for the diagnosis and staging of many medical conditions. This has led to the widespread construction of new PET/CT installations. The design of such facilities, involving aspects of both nuclear medicine and radiology practice, presents some novel problems to the medical physicist. The recently issued report of AAPM Task Group 108, “PET and PET/CT Shielding Requirements,” addresses these difficulties and provides the designer with basic information needed for this work. The information from the report as well as the workflow in PET/CT facilities, the nature of the studies that are performed, the way in which to estimate patient workloads, and the computational approaches to radiation shielding design for high‐energy photon emitters will be discussed. Specific examples for the design of PET/CT shielding will be given. Educational Objectives: 1. To discuss the recently released report of AAPM Task Group 108 on PET and PET/CT Shielding Requirements and provide some specific examples of the methods described in that report. 2. To provide an overall understanding of the workflow, exam procedures, patient workloads, and radiation safety practices at PET and PET/CT imaging facilities. 3. To review the approaches and necessary data for calculating shielding requirements for PET isotopes.