Services
Diagnostic Services
Nuclear Medicine: Preparing for an Exam
Bone Scan
Drink four to six glasses of clear liquids the day before the exam. You will be injected at your scheduled time, and then you will leave and return in three hours for the scan. During the three-hour waiting period, you should drink three to four additional glasses of clear liquids and resume a normal eating schedule. The imaging portion of the test takes approximately 30 minutes.
Cardiolite Stress
Do not eat or drink anything after midnight on the night before the exam.
Renal Scan
Drink four to six glasses of clear liquids the day before the exam. Do not eat or drink anything for four hours before the exam.
Renal Scan with Captopril
Drink four to six glasses of clear liquids the day before the exam. You will also need to discontinue any ACE inhibitor medications for at least two days before either portion of the exam. Ask your doctor if you are currently taking any medications that are in this classification.
Thyroid Uptake
This is a two-day test: The first day of the test cannot be scheduled on a Friday. Make sure you have not had a recent iodine contrast exam within the last 30 days (e.g., CT with contrast). Your physician will instruct you to discontinue any thyroid medication for three weeks prior to the first day of this test as well.
On the first day of the test, do not eat or drink anything after midnight prior to the day of the test. Report to the Radiology department at 7:00am on the first day of the exam. After receiving the Iodine capsule, you will then be asked to report back to the Radiology department in four hours. Thyroid measurements will be taken when you return and you will be asked to return again to the Radiology department on the following morning for additional thyroid measurements.
Thyroid Scan
No prep is necessary.
Lung Scan
No prep is necessary.
Liver/Spleen
Do not eat or drink anything after midnight on the night before the exam.
Hepatobilliary (Gallbladder)/HIDA
Do not eat or drink anything for four hours before the exam.
Red Blood Cell Tag (RBC Tag); performed for Gastrointestinal Bleeding
No prep is necessary.
MUGA
Do not eat or drink anything for four to eight hours before the scan.
Renal Scan with Lasix
Be well hydrated. Drink six to eight glasses of clear liquids the day before the exam.
White Blood Cell
No prep is necessary. You will have blood drawn at 6 a.m. and return three to four hours later for an injection. You can leave again, and you will return three hours later for imaging.
Gastric Emptying Study
Do not eat or drink anything after midnight on the night before the exam.
Breast Lymphoscintigraphy
Do not eat or drink anything after midnight on the night before the exam.
Parathyroid
No prep is necessary.
Contact Us
Radiology Department
For questions: 573-768-3295
To schedule an appointment: 573-547-4288
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