Monte Carlo embryo absorbed dose in caregivers assisting pediatric patients undergoing 18F-FDG PET torso examination

This study estimates the mean absorbed dose to the embryo of a pregnant caregiver assisting a child during an 18 F-FDG PET torso examination. Using the FLUKA Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, various clinical scenarios were modeled taking into account different ages of pediatric patients, caregiver’s positions and exposure scenarios. The accuracy and reliability of the simulation framework were validated by comparing its results with ICRP (Ann ICRP 38:7–96, 2008) and AAPM (Madsen et al. in Med Phys 33:4–15. 2006. https://doi.org/10.1118/1.2135911 ) data. Embryo dose estimates obtained using the FLUKA Monte Carlo code were also compared with those derived from ICRP Publication 116 (Ann ICRP 40(2–5):1–257, 2010). The embryo dose values obtained through the Monte Carlo simulations were consistently lower than the ICRP 116 values. Furthermore, these simulated doses were below the 1 mSv limit for the embryo/fetus over the entire pregnancy period (European Union in Off J Eur Union L 13:1–73, 2014) and the 3 mSv dose constraint for caregivers under 60 years old, as stipulated by Italian law (ITALIA in Gazz Uff Repub Ital Ser Gen, n. 201, 10 Aug. 2020, Suppl. ord. n. 29).