More Tests..UGH!!

Back to nuclear medicine today for a renal flow test(...and later a abdominal CT Scan)..or a renal perfusion scintiscan, a nuclear medicine test that uses a small amount of a radioactive substance to create an image of the kidneys.

How the Test is Performed(renal flow test)

Before the scan, you will be asked to drink plenty of water so that you stay hydrated and to take a blood pressure medicine called an ACE inhibitor. The drug may be taken by mouth, or given through a vein (IV). The medicine increases the accuracy of the test.

You lie on the scanner table shortly after taking the medicine. The health care provider will inject a small amount of radioactive material (radioisotope) into one of your veins. Images of your kidneys are taken as the radioactive material flows through the arteries in the area. It is very important to remain still for the entire test. The scan takes about 30 minutes.

About 10 minutes after you receive the radioactive material, you be given a a diuretic ("water pill") through a vein. This medicine also increases the test's accuracy.


An abdominal CT scan is an imaging method that uses x-rays to create cross-sectional pictures of the belly area. CT stands for computed tomography.



How the Test is Performed(abdominal CT Scan)

You will be asked to lie on a narrow table that slides into the center of the CT scanner. Usually, you will lie on your back with your arms raised above the head.

The health care provider may inject a dye into one of your veins. This helps certain diseases and organs show up better on the images.

Once inside the scanner, the machine's x-ray beam rotates around you. Small detectors inside the scanner measure the amount of x-rays that make it through the abdomen. A computer takes this information and creates several individual images, called slices.

You must be still during the exam, because movement causes blurred images. You may be told to hold your breath for short periods of time.

The actual scan time only takes a few minutes, although the entire procedure usually takes much longer.