Hepatobiliary (HIDA) Scan

A hepatobiliary scan is a simple and painless way of taking pictures of your abdomen, using a radioactive tracer, to assess the function of your gall bladder. 

When you arrive in the department, a technologist will explain the entire procedure to you and then give you the opportunity to ask any questions. You will be asked to remove all external metal objects from your body, including your jewelry. You may also be asked to change into a hospital gown. You will be asked to lie on our imaging table and a special detector, called a gamma camera, will be positioned above your abdomen. The technologist will then give you an injection of a radioactive tracer in a vein in your arm. There are no known side effects from this injection. We will do a series of images of your abdomen to check how your gall bladder is filling up with the radiotracer. These images will take one hour.

Once the first set of imaging is done, the Nuclear Medicine Physician will assess your scan and determine if additional imaging needs to be done.  For some patients, the study is complete at this point.  

However, some patients will require additional imaging.  One reason for additional images would be for our physician to assess the gallbladder’s ability to fill. Some patients will require an injection of morphine to promote the filling of the gallbladder with the radiotracer.  Images will be taken to identify if the gallbladder is visualized.  If you are allergic to morphine, then a delayed image will be performed after 2-3 hours instead.

Another reason additional images would be requested would be for our physician to assess how well the gallbladder is contracting. In order to do this, the technologist will inject you with a synthetic version of the hormone released by your body when you eat, called CCK. Images will also be acquired during this time and will take an hour to obtain.

When it comes to requiring additional images, you will either be given morphine or CCK but not both. The entire procedure will take about 2.5 to 3 hours. 

• Bring your Health card.
• You must fast between 4 and 14 hours prior to the test. You may take your medications as usual on the day of your scan.  
• We would like you to dress in clothing that does not have any metal. Please refrain from wearing jewelry. Please leave all valuables at home.
• Please notify our booking office at the time of scheduling your appointment if you have any concerns regarding claustrophobia, lying still, require a mechanical lift for transfer to the imaging bed, have a language barrier or any other special needs, so that appropriate arrangements can be made ahead to provide you with the best possible care.
• In case that the administration of morphine is needed, you will not be allowed to drive home by yourself. Please bring someone with you who could drive you home, or arrange for your transportation to and from the hospital.

The pinprick of the injection needle may hurt a bit. You may have had a blood test in the past. This is much the same. 

If you have experienced pain in your abdomen recently, it is possible that this test may cause the pain to recur. The technologist will monitor you during the entire test and ensure that you are comfortable with the level of discomfort that you experience.

The injection contains a small amount of radioactive tracer which emits gamma rays (these are similar to X-rays). The radiation dose is very low and will disappear by itself after two days. The results of your scan will give your doctor useful information about your condition and will help them plan your treatment. The benefits of having the scan far outweigh any potential risk from the small radiation dose.  

No special precautions are needed after the scan. If you are travelling across any borders in the seven days after your scan, please ask us for further advice. Border crossings and airports have very sensitive radiation detectors which may pick up tiny amounts of radioactivity remaining after your scan. We will give you a letter that you can show to customs officials at border crossings or airports. 

Remember that if you do receive an injection of morphine, you will not be allowed to drive.  Alternative transportation will need to be arranged prior to your scan in case this additional imaging is required.

Please tell us if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding must be interrupted for up to 4 hours after the exam, during which time one milk meal should be pumped and discarded. Prepare for your exam accordingly. 

A specially trained doctor will examine the pictures. This is normally done soon after the end of the scan. A report is then sent to the doctor who asked us to do the scan. Your doctor will normally receive the report within one week. You will also have access to the report on MyChart as soon as it is released. 

If you have questions about the scan results or report, please contact your doctor directly. They are best able to interpret the report for you. 

No. This test is paid for by the healthcare system. The test costs several hundred dollars, so please notify the department at 613-761-4831 if you cannot make your appointment. 

If you cannot make your appointment, it is important that you notify the department at 613-761-4831 as soon as possible. Failure to make your appointment results in wasting of expensive materials that are ordered especially for your appointment and also reduces availability to other patients. Missed appointments may also result in delays of your treatments.