Nuclear medical examinations of children have to be performed with spe
cial regard to the problems of radiation protection because of the hig
h radiation sensitivity esp. of infants and young children. The presen
t contribution describes how any unnecessary radiation exposure can be
avoided by the correct choice and planning of a nuclear medical study
, by using the appropriate radiopharmaceutical as well as by the exact
calculation of the amount of activity applied, depending on body surf
ace resp. body weight of the child. A technically optimized method whi
ch employes the best technical equipment and personnel, being speciall
y trained for working with children, are important conditions to achie
ve optimal results of nuclear medical tests. Due to the difficulties o
f direct dose measurements, large variations in the biokinetic behavio
ur of radiopharmaceuticals and the restriction to standard phantoms, i
ndividual dose calculations or dose estimations in pediatrics cause gr
eat problems. This is reflected by often large variations of dosimetri
cal data given in the literature.