Automated 18F-FDG drug delivery system: Reducing occupational radiation exposure and improving injection accuracy

Objective To compare the injection accuracy, radiation exposure, and surface radiation levels between manual injection and an automated drug delivery system for 2-[¹⁸F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) administration, and to evaluate the clinical applicability of the automated system.Methods Between December 2024 and January 2025, a total of 504 patients undergoing positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) with 18F-FDG injection were enrolled, including 249 in the manual injection group and 255 in the automated injection group. Injection activity, occupational radiation dose to nurses, and ambient dose equivalent rates at 1 cm above operating surfaces (injection table, gloves, and floor) were monitored. A portable radiation detector was positioned 10 cm from the needle tip (to simulate the operator’s hand) and at chest level (to simulate the torso) to record the peak ambient dose equivalent rate during injection.Results The automated drug delivery system demonstrated significantly better performance in terms of injection accuracy, radiation exposure reduction, and contamination control (Z ranged from -3.16 to -19.44, P