Myocardial Perfusion Scans

Abstract

Background—Myocardial perfusion scans contribute up to 20% of the estimated annual collective radiation dose to the US population. We estimated potential future cancer risk from these scans by age at exposure and current frequency of use in the United States. Methods and Results—Usage patterns were determined from national survey data, and radionuclide dosage was based on current guidelines. Cancer risk projection models were generated on the basis of the National Research Council Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation VII report, under the assumption that risk has a linear relationship with radiation exposure even at low doses. The mean projected number of radiation-related incident cancers and 95% uncertainty intervals were estimated with the use of Monte Carlo simulations. Estimated risks for a scan performed at age 50 years ranged from 2 cancers per 10 000 scans (95% uncertainty interval, 1 to 5) for a positron emission tomography ammonia-13 test to 25 cancers per 10 000 scans (95% uncertainty inter...