scope:

The increase in use of radiopharmaceuticals in routine medical diagnosis led the ICRU to undertake the preparation of this report. The procedures, physical data and examples included in the report are intended to provide workers with radiopharmaceuticals with a convenient handbook for use in carrying out such absorbed dose calculations. ICRU Report 32 first presents basic concepts and formulae. This is followed by a critical account of the methods used in obtaining the biological data needed for calculations of dose. Following this is a summary of the actual procedures recommended for the calculations. Although these procedures make it possible to carry out many of the calculations required, there are, nevertheless, limitations and difficulties, which are noted in the concluding section of the report. The report also contains five appendices. One of these gives details of sources of information on the characteristics of radionuclides in medical use, together with convenient tables of data. The second surveys the published work on absorbed fractions for gamma rays, including appropriate graphical presentation of data. Still another of the appendices provides a series of examples of calculations of dose based upon the methods set out in the report. The fourth appendix comments on some of the problems raised in the dosimetry of radionuclides. The final appendix covers sources of biological data.