Estimation of skin dose rate from a catheter bag filled with P-32 solution. Issue 6 (June 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cockburn, Katrina C.; Moore, Craig S.; Wright, Graham A.
• Is Part Of: Nuclear medicine communications. Volume 36:Issue 6(2015:Jun.)
• Publication Date: 2015-06
• Subjects: phosphorus-32 -- polycythaemia -- radiation dosage -- radioiosotope therapy -- urinary catheter; Nuclear medicine -- Periodicals; 616.07575
• DOI: 10.1097/MNM.0000000000000295
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0143-3636

Abstract

Abstract : Patients attending for therapy with phosphorus-32 (P-32) may have problems with urinary continence requiring the use of a urinary catheter. P-32 is excreted renally and the contents of the catheter bag will impart a dose to the skin with which the bag is in contact. We simulated a catheter bag filled with P-32-contaminated urine and measured the dose rate per unit activity from the bag. A volume of 25 MBq of P-32 was added to a 500 ml bag of saline and mixed thoroughly. A personal dosimetry badge was fixed to the surface of the bag and left for 48 h before being sent for processing. To account for decay, the cumulative activity in the bag over the 48 h period was calculated and the shallow [Hp(0.07)] dose measured by the badge was divided by the cumulative activity to yield a dose rate per MBq of activity. The measured Hp(0.07) dose was 192.8 mSv, which corresponds to a dose rate per MBq of 169 μSv/h/MBq. This study has shown that the dose rate per MBq from a simulated catheter bag of radioactive phosphorus differs from the dose rates published for other containers. This value may be useful in the risk assessment of P-32 therapy in catheterized patients.