Investigations for adults
You can find the investigations that we carry out for adults listed below.
This is a very useful test to examine many different bone problems, for example infection, inflammation, arthritis, stress fractures and malignant processes among others.
You will be given an injection in the arm of a small amount of radioactivity that is taken up by the bone cells. This feels very similar to a blood test and has no side effects.
Images of the bones may be taken immediately and up to two or three hours later, depending on the reason for the scan. You are free to go away until it is time for the images or you can wait in our waiting room. During this time it is important to have plenty to drink (four to five cups of fluid), and you can empty your bladder as much as you need to.
When the images are taken there is no need to undress, but it is necessary to remove any metal objects from the clothing or in the pockets, such as coins, belts, watches, and jewellery.
After all the images are completed, the technologist will check them and you will be able to go home. We will not be able to give out the result of the study immediately but a written report will be sent to the referring doctor. There are no side effects from the test.
This is a test to measure the function of the main pumping chamber of the heart, the left ventricle.
This is a test to examine the blood supply to your heart muscle under stress conditions (similar to exercise) to see if there are any problems with the blood vessels supplying your heart muscle.
For the stress study, you will be asked to stop taking all caffeine for 24 hours. This is most important as caffeine will prevent the stress medicine from working and will result in a failed study. You may also be asked to stop some of your medication.
When you arrive we will put a small cannula (drip) into your arm and connect you to ECG and blood pressure monitors. During the stress test we will give you two injections, firstly of a medicine that simulates the effects of exercise and secondly of the radioactive material. This medicine may make you feel as though you are doing some exercise (for instance short of breath or flushed) but these feelings go away very quickly once the injection is finished.
After the stress test you will be asked to have some fatty food (e.g. a drink of milk) and will need to wait an hour before it is time for your images, during which time you can leave the department.
During the imaging procedure, we will attach ECG leads to your chest in order to monitor your heart rate and you will be required to lie on your back with your arms above your head while the gamma camera moves around your chest taking images. It will not go over your head, nor will you go through a tunnel.
After the images are completed, the technologist will check them and you will be able to go home. We will not be able to give you the result of the study immediately but a written report will be sent to the doctor who referred you. Occasionally we need some extra information and you might be required to return for a second appointment under resting conditions. There are no side effects from the test.
This is a test to look at the drainage of the tear ducts. It does not involve an injection; instead a small amount of a radioactive tracer will be dripped into the corner of each eye. While you sit in front of a gamma camera, a series of images will be taken as these drops drain from the eye. The imaging may take from 20 minutes up to an hour.
After all the images are completed, the technologist will check them before you go home. We will not be able to give out the result of the study immediately but a written report will be sent to the referring doctor. There are no side effects from the test.
This is a test to look at the level of dopamine receptor cells in the brain using a small amount of an iodine based radioactive material. Dopamine is a chemical messenger that transmits messages between nerve cells and muscles. With Parkinson’s Disease the dopamine cells degenerate causing the patient to experience problems with movements, such as walking and dexterity. On arrival, you will be given two tablets of a medicine to block the uptake of the iodine by the thyroid. About 20 minutes later, you will be given an injection of the radioactive tracer in your arm. This feels very similar to a blood test and has no side effects.
The images are taken about three hours after the injection. You will be asked to lie on your back on a bed with your head in a small cradle. Two cameras will move around your head to create the images but they do not touch the head. The images take about 25 minutes to acquire.
After all the images are completed, the technologist will check them before you go home. We will not be able to give out the result of the study immediately but a written report will be sent to the referring doctor. There are no side effects from the test.
This is a test to measure how quickly the stomach empties. Yuo must not have anything to eat or drink for four hours before the test and may also be asked to stop some medication. This test does not involve an injection; instead a small amount of a radioactive tracer is given in a drink of milk. This has no side effects.
You will be asked to lie down or sit in front of a gamma camera and images will be taken for up to an hour. After all the images are completed, the technologist will check them before you go home. We will not be able to give out the result of the study immediately but a written report will be sent to the referring doctor. There are no side effects from the test.
This is a test to look at the blood supply to the brain. You will be given an injection in your arm of a small amount of radioactivity that settles in the brain. In order for the tracer to settle evenly, the injection will be done whilst lying quietly in a darkened room. This feels very similar to a blood test and has no side effects.
The images are taken soon after the injection. You will be asked to lie on your back on a bed with your head in a small cradle. Two cameras will move around your head to create images but they do not touch your head. The images take about 25 minutes to acquire.
After all the images are completed, the technologist will check them before you go home. We will not be able to give out the result of the study immediately but a written report will be sent to the referring doctor. There are no side effects from the test.
This is a test to look at the blood supply and function of the kidneys. You will be given an injection in your arm of a small amount of radioactivity that settles in the kidney cells. This feels very similar to a blood test and has no side effects. A set of images will be taken on a gamma camera two hours later. You are free to go away until it is time for the images or you can wait in our waiting room. During this time it is important that you have plenty to drink and empty your bladder whenever you need to.
When the images are taken it is not necessary to undress, but you will be asked to remove any metal objects you are wearing or you might have in your pockets, such as coins, belts, watches, and jewellery. You will need to lie on a special couch while the gamma camera takes a series of pictures for about 20 minutes. The camera does not go over your head, nor will you go through a tunnel.
After all the images are completed, the technologist will check them before you go home. We will not be able to give out the result of the study immediately but a written report will be sent to the referring doctor. There are no side effects from the test.
This is a useful test to get an accurate measurement of how well the kidneys are working (known as the glomerular filtration rate or GFR). It is used when patients have known kidney problems, are on medication that may affect the kidneys or when they are going to have medicine that relies on the kidneys removing the waste from the body (eg chemotherapy).
Before the test, the patient must not take any caffeine (such as tea, coffee and cola) for 12 hours nor any alcohol for 24 hours. It is important that patients drink other fluids instead, before and during the test. Patients may eat a light breakfast and lunch on the day of the test, but we ask that they do not have too much protein, for example meat or cheese. This test is carried out using just blood samples and there is no need for urine samples or any imaging.
On arrival, the patient is given an injection in the arm of a very small amount of radioactivity. Blood tests are taken two, three and four hours later to see how quickly the radioactivity is being removed from the blood.
The patient can leave the department between the injection and the blood tests or they can wait in our waiting room. After the last blood test, the patient is able to go home. The injections feel similar to a blood test and have no side effects. The results of the test will be calculated and a written report will be sent to the referring doctor.
This is a test to look at the drainage of the kidneys and the ureters into the bladder. While you are lying on a special couch, you will be given an injection in your arm of a small amount of radioactivity that is rapidly cleared from the blood stream by the kidneys. At the same time a diuretic is given to speed up this process. The injection feels very similar to a blood test and can make you feel the need to empty your bladder more frequently for the next few hours.
You do not need to undress for the images, which will be taken immediately for a period of at least 20 minutes. The two gamma cameras will be above and below the bed, they do not move, nor do they touch you. Further images may be required after an hour. After all the images are completed, the technologist will check them before you go home. We will not be able to give out the result of the study immediately but a written report will be sent to the referring doctor. There are no other side effects from the test.
This is a test to look at the function of the liver and the drainage of the gall bladder. Before the test it is important that you have nothing to eat or drink for four hours. You will be given an injection in your arm of a small amount of radioactivity that settles in the liver cells then drains through the bile ducts into the gall bladder. The injection feels very similar to a blood test and has no side effects.
You will need to lie on a special couch while the gamma camera takes a series of pictures for about up to an hour, you do not have to undress for this. The camera does not go over your head, nor will you go through a tunnel. You may also be given a high fat drink to speed up the drainage process.
After all the images are completed, the technologist will check them before the patient goes home. We will not be able to give out the result of the study immediately but a written report will be sent to the referring doctor. There are no other side effects from the test.
This is a two part test to look at the blood and air supplies to the lungs, either to check for the presence of small blood clots or to measure and compare how each lung works.
For the lung Q study, to look at the blood supply, you are given an injection in the arm (this feels like a blood test) of a small amount of radioactivity that is temporarily trapped in the fine blood vessels of the lungs.
A series of images are then taken for about two to five minutes, with you lying on a special couch under the gamma camera or sitting in an imaging chair in front of it.
For the lung V study, to look at airways in the lung, you will breathe some air through a mouthpiece for about two minutes with a fine radioactive gas in it.
Images will then be taken in exactly the same manner as the perfusion study. Sometimes a perfusion (Q) study is carried out without the ventilation study.
After all the images have been completed, they will be examined by one of our doctors and a report will be sent back to the patient’s referring doctor. If the scan result indicates that some treatment is needed, this will be arranged before you leave the department.
This is a test to look at the drainage of lymphatic fluid from either the arms or legs. You will be given an injection of a small amount of radioactivity into either your hands or feet depending on which limb is giving you problems.
You will need to lie on a special couch while the gamma camera takes a series of pictures; there is no need to undress for this, the camera does not go over your head, nor will you go through a tunnel. Imaging may take up to an hour and a half, but you will be able to get up and walk around between images.
After all the images are completed, the technologist will check them before you go home. We will not be able to give out the result of the study immediately but a written report will be sent to the referring doctor. There are no side effects from the test.
This is a simple test to look for a small pouch of bowel called a Meckel's diverticulum. The lining of this pouch can become inflamed causing pain and bleeding. Before the test it is important you have nothing to eat or drink for four hours. You will be given an injection in your arm of a small amount of radioactivity that settles into the lining of the Meckel's. The injection feels very similar to a blood test and has no side effects.
You will need to lie on a special couch while the gamma camera takes a series of pictures for an hour; there is no need to undress for this, the camera does not go over your head, nor will you go through a tunnel.
After all the images are completed, the technologist will check them before you go home. We will not be able to give out the result of the study immediately but a written report will be sent to the referring doctor. There are no side effects from the test.
These are tests that assist with the diagnosis and treatment planning for certain types of abdominal disease. You can eat and drink normally for either test. Some medications may need to be stopped, so you should provide a prescription list. For females of child bearing age, the octreotide study should be carried out during the first 10 days of the menstrual cycle.
For either test, you will be given an injection of a small amount of radioactivity. In addition medicine (in the form of tablets) may be given to prevent the uptake of radioactivity in the thyroid or to clear the the bowels more quickly. Images may be taken on the gamma camera for up to two hours over two to three days. The images are taken while you are lying down on a special couch, there is no need to undress.
After each day's set of images are completed, the technologist will check them and you will be able to go home. We will not be able to give out the result immediately, but a written report will be sent to the referring doctor. There are no side effects from the test.
This is a test to look at the size, position and activity levels of the parathyroid glands. These four small glands usually sit in the neck close to the thyroid, but can sometimes develop in the chest.
You can eat and drink normally for the test, but some types of medication may need to be stopped so it is important that you provide the department with a prescription list before your appointment.
You may be given one or two injections of a radioactive tracer which settles into both the thyroid and parathyroid glands. These feel very similar to a blood test and have no side effects. In either case images are taken with a gamma camera while you are lying on a special couch.
The test may take up to three hours. After all the images are completed, the technologist will check them and you will be able to go home. We will not be able to give out the result immediately, but a written report will be sent to the referring doctor. There are no side effects from the test.
This test investigates how well the body absorbs bile salts. If they are not being absorbed properly, they interfere with water absorption in the bowel and can cause diarrhoea.
The test takes place over two appointments, booked seven days apart. The first appointment lasts for approximately one hour and the second for fifteen minutes. You may have a light meal before the appointments.
At the first appointment you are given a capsule containing bile salts and a very small amount of radioactivity. Some measurements are taken with a gamma camera before and after having the capsule - you will lie on a special imaging couch for this. At the second appointment the following week, just one measurement is taken to see how much radioactivity is remaining.
After all the measurements have been taken, you are able to go home. The results will be calculated after the second appointment and a written report will be sent to the referring doctor.
This test is to identify the normal lymphatic drainage pattern of tumour sites. It is carried out immediately prior to surgery for a malignant breast or skin tumour.
It is known that malignant disease can travel through the lymphatic drainage channels and settle in areas away from the initial disease. For example, for many years it was common practice to carry out a removal of lymph nodes from the armpit at the same time as a mastectomy or lumpectomy in order to test all these nodes for spread of the disease. This often left patients with swollen arms due to resulting poor lymphatic drainage of the whole arm. In order to avoid this, surgeons now attempt to remove only those nodes to which the breast tissue drains. This test will identify the main (or sentinel) node to which the diseased area of the breast or other tumour site drains.
A small amount of a radioactive tracer is injected under the skin around the skin lesion or at the side of the nipple for breast disease. Images are then taken over a period of up to an hour. When the sentinel node has been identified, its position is marked on the skin surface with indelible ink.
As soon as the images have been completed, a report is prepared for the surgeon. The patient will take this straight to theatre where the surgeon can remove the sentinel node at the same time as the surgery on the main disease is carried out.
This is a test to look at the size, shape, position and activity levels of the thyroid gland. You will be given an injection in your arm of a small amount of radioactivity that settles in the thyroid tisssue. This feels very similar to a blood test and has no side effects.
Images of the thyroid are taken immediately on a gamma camera. You do not need to undress but may be asked to remove any large necklaces.
After the images are completed, the technologist will check them and you will be able to go home. A written report will be sent to the referring doctor unless you have a clinic appointment within our department on the same day. There are no side effects from the test.