CCK/HIDA Scan - what to expect?

[beccabond]

Hello.  I am having a CCK/HIDA Scan tomorrow morning.  I was wondering what to expect from the test?  Will they give me an injection through a shot, or will I have an IV?  I know the test will take about 2 hours.  Will I have to lie completely still for the duration of the test?  How quickly will I receive the test results?
Thanks,
Rebecca

[Kevin Pho, MD]

Hello - thanks for asking your question.

As you know, a hida scan is a scan of the gallbladder. This test is done when the patient has been having abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, and sometimes chest pain. To prepare for the test, the patient must not eat or drink anything after midnight before the test. A radiotracer will be injected and pictures will be taken right after the injection.  The injection is likely to be done via an IV.  The pictures will be taken over a period of one to two hours. Since pictures are being taken, you would have to lie still for the duration of the test. The results should be available a few days after the test.  

Thanks,
Kevin, M.D.

Links:
HIDA Scan - Patient Information
http://www.baptistbabiesonline.com/MedicalServices/Radiology/radhepbio.htm

[tummytrouble]

Hi beccabond I have found some information for you:

You must fast for four hours prior to your exam. You may take your medications with a sip of water.

You will be asked to lie still during the images. The time for this first scan is 60 minutes.

You will be given a can of Boost Plus to drink. This stimulates the gallbladder to react as if you ate a fatty meal. You may experience abdominal cramping, pain or nausea. Images will be taken for 45 additional minutes. Following the examination you may resume normal activities.
Hopr this is useful!

[beccabond]

Thank you for the responses.  I was hoping to hear from someone who has had the CCK/HIDA Scan done before.  I am wondering if the CCK part of the Scan is going to make me sick so that I would need someone to drive me home following the Scan.  I have read that I may experience some cramping or nausea, so I was wondering how debilitating this would be, or how long it would last.

[nadia]

I have had the Hida Scan done.  My experience was completely painless.  I drove myself there and back.  Good luck with your test!

[beccabond]

Thanks again to everyone.  I just got back from having my CCK/HIDA Scan.  It wasn't so bad.  The technician first injected me with some type of dye through my IV.  I had to lie still on a table with a machine over my abdomen for an hour.  After the hour was up, the technician slowly injected CCK through my IV.  He told me that everyone - regardless of whether there was a problem with their gallbladder - would not feel so great for a few minutes after the injection of CCK.  I felt a bit flushed in my face, and I had a few waves of nausea, but it was nothing I couldn't handle.  After he finished injecting the CCK, he put some saline through my IV, and I began to feel much better.  I had to lie on the table for about another 45 minutes or so.  Then it was over.  It will probably be a few days until I get my results, but the technician indicated to me that everything looked okay.

[tummytrouble]

I'm glad that everything turned out fine :)
I am wishing you the best of luck with your results!

[beccabond]

I got my results back today.  The nurse at my doctor's office told me that the results were normal. I questioned her on my percentage when the CCK was injected, and she told me it was 37%. I asked her whether this meant I was borderline, considering abnormal would be below 35%, but she said all she could tell me was that I was normal. Is 37% borderline, or is this truly normal? If this is borderline, will my gallbladder become progressively worse, or is there something I can do to reverse this? Thanks again.

[gardenmaniac]

hi,

my daughter's first HIDA scan came back at 32%..the GI doc said she was ok, the surgeon said she was "on the fence"...preferred to see it under 30% to say the GB wasn't working. He ordered another HIDA scan and a small bowel follow thru. The 2nd HIDA scan was 6 weeks after the first one, at a different hospital. The results of the 2nd HIDA was 8%. she had her GB removed 3 weeks later.

I searched the net looking for info on whether or not your GB would/could get better. I could not find anything. Seems like once it goes bad, it's done. I would keep a detailed journal of how you feel & what exactly you are eating. If you continue to experience the same pain or it gets worse..ask for another HIDA scan...in my daughter's case (she is 19 & had no gallstones, is not fat)..anyway...we felt like a result of 8% was pretty conclusive. The surgeon said higher than 35% he didn't recommentd surgery, lower than 30% he did..at 32%, he would leave it up to us....very glad we didn't have to make that call.

i know it is a lousy thing to have to wait some more...but you sure don't want to have something removed that isn't defective..& you may end up worse off..

good luck..

[Lillibet]

Hi,

Mine was 33.4%, and they told me that normal was 35%. Still, it all depends on the symptoms. I didn't have stones either. I had the surgery on January 24th, and had pure hell for the first two weeks. I am now able to eat plain, boiled foods (chicken and shrimp). Haven't tried beef yet, as even the chicken breast takes a long time to digest. It's a good idea to keep a journal. I have been keeping one since my surgery and was able to eliminate the things that bothered me. Doctors can't tell you much on nutrition, or what would be best for you system. You have to figure that out. Your gallbladder WON'T get better. According to what my gastroenterologist told me, it seems that once you get an attack you will always be prone to more attacks. As time goes by, they will become more frequent and more intense.

Five years I had the HIDA SCAN and it came back at 55% and he told me to have the surgery because of the symptoms. I ignored both the surgeon and gast. doctor and modified my diet (very LOW fat, to fat free in some cases), exercise (walking), and not eating after 7:00 p.m. Lots of fruits and veggies, and I lasted 5 years. But last year from February I started having these awful pains that would come and go. I ignored it until late September when I got such an awful attack, that I thought the thing had ruptured in me. By October they told me it had to come out, but I waited until after Christmas. Even the night before surgery, I had a small attack just from eating plain, boiled chicken breast! So, it all depends on how awful you feel. DO NOT rush to take it out, just in case there is something else going on. Get checked out completely, and change your diet and see how things go. Then maybe later on this year they'll do another HIDA scan and see if the number changes.....

Good luck.

[beccabond]

Thanks for your help.  The thing about me is that I've never had a gallbladder attack.  I don't have pain on my right side.  The doctors just thought they should do the ultrasound and CCK/HIDA Scan as a precautionary measure since my sister had her gallbladder removed after she had a baby.  My problem has been nausea, loss of appetite, and a gnawing ache over my left side for the past few months.  My endoscopy revealed gastritis, so my gastroenterologist feels like that is probably my problem.  It just really surprised me when the ejection fraction came back so close to the abnormal range.  I spoke with my internist yesterday, and he said 37% is perfectly normal for some people, or it could be that my gallbladder is on its way to dysfunctioning.  I will probably have the CCK/HIDA Scan done again in the next few months if I don't get to feeling better.

[gardenmaniac]

one of my daughter's main symptoms was nausea. The first GI doc had said it was IBS and she went on this low fat/low fiber diet...she felt better for a few months..then she had a classic GB "attack"....previously she had generalized mid stomach pain..not just URQ pain after eating french fries..it was very inconsisitent..hence the purpose of a journal..maybe you can figure out what triggers your discomfort..

she feels 99 percent better by the way...some things still bother her, but not much..

hang in there!

[gardenmaniac]

hey..so glad to hear that are a little better...how discouraging your situation has been!

[Jenlvsgarth]

Hello.. I had a Hida Scan yesterday I have been having upper quadrent pain and lower abdominal pain for over a year. I have had every test they do. And nothing ever camee up .. but finall after this test. i was only around 12-15% so I'm going to have my gallbladder removed.  I had doctors tell me that I had everthing from IBS to just pain on not enough fiber. Listen to your body is my advise, just keep switching doctors till you find out what is wrong. Or at least until you have rulled out everything possible. The Hida Scan was one of the easist tests besides maybe an ulatraound. Just a little long, but if your ultrasound is normal and you still have pain..ask for this so you can rule out any Gallbladder problems,, it took me a year in pain to get the doctors to give me an answer so dont give up..

JEN

[Tasha31]

I finally have a diagnosis about my RUQ pain, i had the second hida scan with cck and my gall bladder ejection fraction was at 11%  will be having my gall bladder out this coming wednesday....i was diagnosed with everything from ibs to my weight causing the pain, to its all in my head.  I am so glad to finally have an answer to my problem..........keep searching dont let Dr's shrug you off if an easy diagnosis is not possible, keep pushing them to find an answer.

[MissJan]

Hi to all Hida Scan recipients....Scheduled to have mine this week.  I have had an abdoman ultra sound, barium enema and a colonoscopy.  My main reason for requesting this test is that I have periodic bouts of acid-bile diarreha.  No cramps, just have to run to the bathroom; usually right after eating.  Have any of your experienced this problem?  And a problem it is, sometimes there is no bathroom in site.  It is just horrible.  Please let me know if you have gone through similar problem.  I always seem to have a ridgid felling in the area of my gallbladder.  All of the tests mentioned above were normal.

[nonsense]

Hi. I need some info about gallbadder disease. Here is my background. I've been experiencing gagging, nausea after I eat and drink, even water. There are periods when I don't experience these things but over the last few months my gagging and nausea have gotten more frequent. I also vomit every few weeks, last friday I throw up two times, 5-10 minutes after I have eaten. I had a ultrasound in december and they didn't find any gallstones. Now I'm going to get a HIDA Scan in two weeks. from ya'll's experience does this sound like there is something wrong with my gallbladder. Both my main physician and her nurse practicioner jave said that it maybe my gallbadder. I am kind of worried because I've never have surgery before.

[MissJan]

I am having my Hida Scan tomorrow.  I have tense ridig feeling in my upper rightabdomen.  I have recently had an ab ultra sound, tons of blood tests, a barium enema and a colonoscopy.  Everything game out fine.  I also get what is called acid bile diarrhea, without warning, usually after I eat.  It happens only occasionally, but it sure is hard to manage.  Has anyone else experienced this problem relative to a gallbladder problem?   Please Help!

[MissJan]

I am having my Hida Scan tomorrow.  I have tense ridig feeling in my upper rightabdomen.  I have recently had an ab ultra sound, tons of blood tests, a barium enema and a colonoscopy.  Everything game out fine.  I also get what is called acid bile diarrhea, without warning, usually after I eat.  It happens only occasionally, but it sure is hard to manage.  Has anyone else experienced this problem relative to a gallbladder problem?   Please Help!

[Swaff]

My HIDA scan was on July 23rd. I had it after several months of mild nausea and a few months of twice daily colicky attacks. No gallstones were seen on the ultrasound. The worst pain went away about a week before the scan. I scored 37% "sluggish" score, I was told, not bad enough for surgery. Now I just feel kind of yucky after I eat, whether the food is fatty or not. I guess I get to put up with this until things get bad again.

[somekindawonderful65]

Hello, my hida scan came out with a 25%, the ultrasound did not show gall stones. I go to the surgeon tomorrow to find out if I will have surgery. Do ya'll think it is likely that he will opt for surgery. My pain and nausea have been almost non stop. Thanks for your help.

[fatfree]

I had my hida scan last week.  After about an hour & a half, they told me to leave & come back in an hour and a half.  I asked why.  They said that my gallbladder didn't show up.  (Camera shy?)
They said that they could inject me with morphine,to cause the gallbladder to contract, but that the doctor didn't like that, because he'd had a patient "go south" on him.
But then, almost in the same breath, they asked me who my doctor was.
I thought they must be pulling my leg.  
I left & came back & they took more pictures.  The gallbladder did show up this time.
My doctor was furious & said they didn't run the test correctly.  That they should have injected me with a hormone and waited to see the gallbladder drain.
Has anyone else had a similar experience?  Do they use morphine?
I have to go back today to have the test repeated.
Who is pulling my leg?

[power_pop]

I had a hida scan yesterday. I felt slightly nauseated and cramped a little after they injected the hormone to make my gallbladder contract, but it passed quickly. My body was stiff from laying down for 2 hours. What are the ranges for normal versus abnormal, and when do the doctors decide to take the gallbladder out?

[spyder]

I just had the CCK/HIDA scan today. I was supposed to have it yesterday at 3:00pm (15 hours of fasting), but the machine broke down. It seems they inject you with the radioactive component and leave it to work into your bloodstream for about 30 minutes. Then they inject the CCK, which gave me a severe nausea, I started to pass out from the pain, and severe cramping of the whole abdominal cavity for around 5 minutes. The technician told me the normal ejection (excreation of the gall bladder bile) was 35%. Mine ended up at just under 20%.
The worst news is that I first had a major attack from this a year ago (when I had insurance, now unemployed since springtime) and I had to call the rescue squad and go to the emergency room (a major attack for me is when the pain puts you on the ground and blacking out). The doctor at the hospital done a chest x-ray of the heart and lungs and told me it was probably just muscle strain and take a couple of aspirins a day!
I've now had to more major attacks in the last month and minor ones since last year. So, I decided to go to the doctor that removed my appendix to check me out. He said I felt tender in the area and had me get an ultrasound of the gall bladder. The tests came back with no stones, but the tech that done the ultrasound said it showed thick walls. The doctor could not figure anything out from the test and told me to take Taggamet, it could be an ulcer, and gave me a phamplet on acid reflex desease, I think, and told me to look over it and see if that is the problem!
Then I decided to go to another doctor, and the doctor looked at the ultrasound and noticed the gall's thick walls and gave me medicine (belladonna/phenobarb) which has been helping me cope with the daily pain and had me get the HIDA scan. I would like to say thanks for Family Urgent Care for their good doctors and staff.
Of course, I've spent about $1000 out of my pocket so far and can't afford surgery (I'm going to try the local health dept. for help), but I'm glad we seem to finally know the problem.
I will keep in touch when I get the surgery done.

[SouthernSkiMom]

I am glad to see that none of you had the results I did from the scan. Within 2 hours of the scan, I had a SEVERE case of diahrea. I do mean SEVERE - I lost 5 pounds that one day. It took me almost seven days to get over it completely. I had no desire to eat anything!
My scan showed a 30%  ejection rate so I have seen a surgeon about removing my gall bladder. However, he is a bit unsure since I have an atypical presentation. My pain is just below the sternum and goes toward my back instead of on the right side. It is not always after eating. Sometimes a margarita or orange juice can put me in horrible pain but it will go away within 30 minutes or so. This has happened periodically for several years but not consistently. After this pain I usually have loose stools. I am unsure about whether to go thru with the surgery. Obvivously my gall bladder isn't going to get better but is it really my problem? Any suggestions?
My history - I am female, 42, in excellent health with a five-year old child and beginning to see signs of menopause.