The patient is given the dose of radioisotope usually by mouth and returns six hours later for the scan. Occasionally a short visit the following morning is necessary to complete the study. Determines the function of the gallbladder. There is no significant danger from nuclear medicine scans. Only a small amount of a radionuclide is received which is eliminated from the body in one to two days.
Scans usually take between one to one and one-half hours to complete.
A heart-scan study may take the entire morning because both a rest and exercise portion must be completed. Be sure to tell the technologist or nuclear medicine physician if you are pregnant or if there is any possibility that you are pregnant. The nuclear medicine scan at times has to be tailored to a particular situation and patient. The nuclear medicine physician may even do a brief physical examination. The following steps take place after the initial interview.