Tumor imaging

The procedure begins with the injection of a small amount of radioactive material into the vein of your arm. Your time to return for your scan will depend on the type of tumor being imaged. The various times will be explained to you at the time you schedule your appointment.

When you return for the scan, you will be asked to lie on a special table that allows us to take pictures of your whole body. The camera, which can detect radioactivity, will travel from your head to your toes, recording pictures. Nothing will touch you. The scanning process will take about 45 minutes. It is very important that you remain still during the scan.

Next, a special set of pictures called SPECT scans are taken. For this set of pictures, the camera will be set up to travel in a circle around your whole body. Sometimes two different sets of SPECT scans – one for the chest and one for the abdomen – are made.

Each set of SPECT scans will take about 45 minutes to complete. You should plan for the test to take about two hours and 30 minutes. Patients are also sometimes asked to return the following day so that additional pictures can be made.

No special preparation is necessary for the tumor imaging scan. You may, in some cases, be asked to take a laxative prior to the scan for better bowel clearance.

After the procedure is complete, a nuclear medicine physician will study the pictures along with your medical history to make an assessment of what the images show. They will then dictate a report that will be forwarded to your physician within three business days. If the results are needed sooner, your doctor may contact the nuclear medicine physician on the day of the exam.