FDG DOSE CALCULATOR

 ​A weight-based FDG dose calculator, programmed in Excel, can be downloaded:

This program is designed to calculate a first order approximation of the optimal, patient-specific, FDG activity for administration in oncological PET imaging.  Calculations are derived a using a linear equation relating patient weight, scan type (2D/3D), time per bed position, and bed overlap. Details of the computations are displayed on the sheet. This calculator is based on SNMMI¹, EANM², and joint SNMMI/EANM³ FDG dosing guidelines for adult oncologic imaging.

For an expanded description of calculator and discussion of its use, please refer to our publication:

Optimal Dose for Whole-Body 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT Imaging, Adam L. Kesner, PhD, Brian M. Bagrosky, MD, Jennifer J. Kwak, MD, Phillip J. Koo, MD, Journal of the American College or Radiology, July, 2014.

It should be noted that at present there is no consensus in the field as to how best choose patient dose in FDG imaging. Many centers still use a fixed dose for all patients. The calculator we present is based on first order assumptions with respect to patient weight, scan type, time per bed position, and bed overlap. It has also been suggested that using body surface area instead of weight, as well as implementing non-linear dosing equations may be appropriate strategies.

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Update note - in 2015 EANM published new activity administration guidelines⁴ .The formula proposed in this publication is not used in our presented calculator. 

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¹ Procedure Guideline for Tumor Imaging with SNMMI guidelines – Procedure Guideline for Tumor Imaging with 18F-FDG PET/CT 1.0* for tumour PET imaging: version 1.0, 2009 (link)

² EANM guidelines: FDG PET and PET/CT: EANM procedure guidelines for tumour PET imaging: version 1.0, 2009 (link)

³ EANM/SNMMI Guideline for 18F-FDG Use in Inflammation and Infection, 2012 (link)

4 FDG PET/CT: EANM procedure guidelines for tumour imaging: version 2.0, 2015, (link)