Where: |  | You will report to the Admitting Office located off the Main Lobby at Daviess Community Hospital. Enter the hospital through the Main Entrance. |
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Purpose : | | The thyroid scan and a radioactive iodine test (RAIU), also known as a thyroid uptake, are nuclear medicine examinations that help evaluate the structure and function of the thyroid. The thyroid is a gland in the neck that controls metabolism, a chemical process that regulates the rate at which your body functions.
For both tests, a small amount of radioactive material called a radiopharmaceutical or radiotracer (iodine or technetium) is injected into a vein or swallowed by mouth. This material eventually collects in the thyroid, where it gives off energy in the form of gamma rays. Working together, a probe, camera, and computer detect these emissions, measure the amount of radiotracer absorbed into the gland and produce a digital image of the thyroid gland. |
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Preparation: | | You should tell your physician if you:
· Have had any tests, surgeries or treatments using radioactive materials or x-rays using iodine contrast material within the last five years.
· are taking medications or ingesting other substances that contain iodine, including kelp, seaweed, cough syrups, multivitamins, or heart medications.
· If you have any allergies to iodine, medications and anesthetics.
· If you are or might be pregnant.
· If you are breast-feeding.
· No seafood for 2 weeks prior to exam.
· Must wait 3 weeks after taking Iodine expectorants (cough medicine) to start the exam. |
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Procedure: | | Before the thyroid scan is performed, the patient is given a dose of a radiotracer (iodine or technetium) that is either swallowed or injected into a vein.
The iodine tracer taken by mouth may be in liquid or capsule form and may be taken up to 24 hours before the test. The technetium tracer, given by intravenous injection, is typically given 30 minutes prior to the test. This allows the tracer time to circulate through the patient’s bloodstream and to be absorbed by the thyroid gland.
When it is time for the procedure to begin, the patient will lie down on an examination table with the head tipped backward and the neck extended. The gamma camera will then take a series of images, capturing images of the thyroid glade from three different angles. The patient will need to remain still for brief periods of time while the camera is taking pictures.
A thyroid scan lasts about 30 minutes.
Thyroid Uptake
The patient will be given radioactive iodine (I-123 or I-131) in liquid or capsule form to swallow. The patient is then scheduled to have the thyroid uptake 24 hours later.
When it is time for the procedure to be performed, the patient will sit in a chair while a probe is placed over the thyroid gland in the neck. This small probe is capable of detecting and measuring the gamma rays emitted from the radiotracer that has accumulated in the thyroid gland.
This procedure lasts approximately 10 minutes. |
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After Care: | | After the procedure is complete, a nuclear medicine physician will study the pictures along with your medical history to make an assessment of what the images show. He will then dictate a report that will be forwarded to your physician within two business days. If your doctor needs the results sooner, he/she may contact the nuclear medicine physician on the day of the exam. |
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Reviewed: | | 10/18/2007 |