We will then start a small I.V., so we can give the second medicine needed for the test and begin taking pictures. The nuclear medicine camera is above but will not touch your child. The pictures take about 30 minutes and your child can watch videos or listen to the radio during the exam. The nuclear medicine technologist at Children's gives the medications and takes the pictures. The technologist is under the supervision of a radiologist, a doctor specially trained to look at Meckels scans.
Radiation is a risk.
However, Meckels scans get the most information with the least amount of radiation. The technologist or nurse gives you special instructions and tells you when you may leave. You get the results of the study from the doctor who asked for the test. Call your child's doctor's office if you have not heard anything after two days. Although you cannot explain the exam to your baby, you can help him feel more secure during the test by bringing a special blanket, toy or pacifier.