Time required:
This test involves 3 different visits to our office on the day of your appointment. You will come into the office early in the morning on the day of your appointment to have a sample of blood drawn. The technologist will then advise you as to when you will return to our office for the injection of the imaging agent (usually 3-4 hours after the initial appointment). You will then return approximately 3 hours after the injection for your scan which can take up to 1 hour (depending on the area(s) to be scanned).

Purpose:
Your doctor has ordered a nuclear infection imaging study. This study is used to detect suspected sites of acute infection/inflammation. This can include discreet sites of suspeted infection, or large areas of the body.

Preparation:
There is no special preparation needed for this type of exam.

Test Procedure:
As indicated above, this test involves 3 vistis to our office.
The initial appointment is always made for early in the morning. When you arrive at our office, a technologist will meet with you to discuss your history and current symptoms, and a sample of your blood will be drawn. This will be sent off to the nuclear pharmacy to be labelled with a radioactive tracer.

You will then return to our office when advised (usually late morning/early afternoon) , at which time your labelled blood sample will injected into an arm vein.

You will then return for your final appointment approximately 3 hours later, at which time images will be taken. These may last up to 1 hour depending on the site(s) to be imaged.

Your test results will be interpreted by our radiologist and sent to your doctor.