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The purpose of this study is to detect the presence of a small area in your bowel that contains stomach tissue that may cause internal bleeding in your gut. This will help the doctor make a diagnosis, and give appropriate treatment as required.
On arrival you will receive an injection containing a small amount of radioactivity into a vein in your arm or hand. The scan will be carried out 10 minutes later. For this you will lie down on a couch and four pictures (each of 3-4 minutes duration) will be taken of the abdomen using a gamma camera. In order to get good pictures the gamma camera will be close and you will have to remain still. You do not normally need to remove clothing. Only removal of jewellery and metal objects is required.
If you are pregnant, or you think you might be pregnant, you need to inform your doctor or the Nuclear Medicine staff before attending your appointment. In general, exposure to radiation during pregnancy should be kept to a minimum and it may be necessary to postpone your scan. Also let us know if you are breast-feeding. The present guidelines recommend that breast-feeding is interrupted for 24 hours after the injection.
We would prefer that you do not bring more than one person with you. It is advisable not to have a pregnant woman or a small child with you. This is to avoid exposing them to unnecessary radiation. It is also preferable to avoid prolonged close contact (hugging a child / sitting a child on your knee for more than half an hour) for the rest of the day.
You will be required to fast from midnight, you may drink water. Take your medication as normal.
You may feel a slight pinprick from the injection needle. Our doctors will be available during your stay in the department to answer any queries and to provide medical cover in case of any side effect from the injection we give you (please note that side effects are extremely rare).
The amount of radioactivity you receive in this study is strictly within the recommended national level. At this level, the benefit to you from a diagnosis of your condition outweighs the risk (negligible) of any harm associated with the radiation you will receive.
You may eat as normal. The more fluid you drink the better, as the radioactivity is passed out in the urine. No extra precautions need to be taken when passing urine.
The Nuclear Medicine doctor will report on the study and the result will be sent to the doctor who requested the study. He/she will be able to discuss the results with you in relation to other tests you may have had.