What happens during a HIDA scan?

[Becci]

I'm scheduled to have a HIDA scan tomorrow morning.  I've looked up HIDA scans on the Internet but am wondering if any of you could share your personal experiences with me.

Thanks!

[gardenmaniac]

My daugher has had 2 HIDA scans.....compared to some of the other tests she had..it was probably the easiest...no nasty stuff to drink ( or poop out later )....the first time her gallbladder did not visualize, so she had to have morphine which closes up the sphincter of oddi & causes the radiotracer to back fill into the gallbladder. she did not like the feeling the morphone gave her...other than that..no problems. the second time, the GB filled like clockwork, no morphine needed. Are they checking the emptying percentage of your gallbladder?

The first scan was 32%...the second one 6 weeks later was 8%. she had her gallbladder removed last week on the 27th of Dec. she is 19. It is the ONLY test that showed anything abnormal.

I found a couple of great sites on HIDA scans..very detailed...I think I typed in HIDA scan AND Morphine...anyway..it described in detail what they do & what they are looking for, what different things mean...

Good luck...

[SlugGB]

It is very straight forward.  You lay on a table and they inject an isotope into your veins thru an IV.  They then view the isotope as it travels thru the liver, gall bladder, ducts (and possibly other areas that I am not aware of) to check for any blockage.  They are viewing the isotope thru an x-ray type machine and taking pictures at various times throughout the procedure.  Some of the time they will check for proper gallbladder contraction using a material called CCK or some other material (Ensure, milk).  If they use CCK you may feel a warm sensation when it is injected, but is nothing to worry about.

Basically, your getting an x-ray done while laying down with an IV in your arm.  The procedure takes longer then a std x-ray as they are checking the progress of the isotope at various times.

The HIDA scan is also known as a "Hepatobiliary Scan".  Try entering that into a search engine.  

The procedure is nothing to get worked up about and you will be out of there in no time.  Good luck and I hope they find the problem!