HIDA SCAN

A hepatobiliary (HIDA) scan is an imaging procedure used to diagnose problems of the liver, gallbladder and bile ducts.
A HIDA scan is most often done to evaluate your gallbladder. It's also used to look at the bile-excreting function of your liver and to track the flow of bile from your liver into your small intestine. A HIDA scan is often used with X-ray and ultrasound.

For a HIDA scan, also known as cholescintigraphy and hepatobiliary scintigraphy, a radioactive tracer is injected into a vein in your arm. The tracer travels through your bloodstream to your liver, where the bile-producing cells take it up. The tracer then travels with the bile into your gallbladder and through your bile ducts to your small intestine. A nuclear medicine scanner (gamma camera) tracks the flow of the tracer from your liver into your gallbladder and small intestine and creates computer images.

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TEST PREPARATION

If you’ve never had an HIDA scan you might not know what to expect and this brief guide is designed to answer the questions that might be in your mind.

  • It’s important that you tell us before the scan if you:
  • are (or might be) pregnant or breastfeeding
  • have had an ultrasound within the previous six months
  • are taking some medications and supplements.
  • Fast for four hours prior to your HIDA scan. Your doctor may allow you to drink clear liquids.
  • No narcotics for 12 hours before the scan.
  • Please confirm your appointment by phone 24 hours before your scan and arrive in plenty of time.
  • Recommended to wear comfortable, easy-to-remove clothing.
  • You’re welcome to bring a friend or a relative with you, but for safety reasons, we don't normally allow them into the examination room.
  • Don’t forget to bring your appointment letter with you.
  • Once you have checked in at reception, a member of the radiography team will meet you, explain the procedure, go through your safety questionnaire with you and ask you to sign a consent form.
  • You will have the opportunity to ask any questions.
  • We might ask you to change into an examination gown.
  • Place a temporary intravenous line, or IV set up.
  • Throughout the procedure, you will be looked after by the radiography team. They will explain what’s happening and will be there if you experience any discomfort.
  • The examination should take from 90 minutes to 4 hours.
  • The technologist operating the equipment will be able to see and hear you throughout the procedure.
  • Your technician will position you on a table, usually on your back, and inject the radioactive tracer into a vein in your arm.
  • The technician may also inject a type of pain medicine called morphine through your IV line.
  • For safety reasons, we won’t normally allow anyone accompanying you to come into the examination room whilst you are having your procedure.
  • There are no restrictions on a normal activity you can eat and drink normally, drive and return to work immediately after the scan.
  • The small amount of radioactive tracer will lose its reactivity or pass through your urine and stool over the next day or two.
  • Drink plenty of water to help flush it out of your system.
  • A radiologist will examine the images shortly after your visit and send a report to your doctor or consultant, normally within a few days.
  • For ethical and professional reasons, we cannot discuss results with you. Only your doctor or consultant can do this.