What does a hydascan involve?

Question

I have had moderate to very severe pain mainly on my right side, sometimes I hurt so bad everything seems to hurt..I have had an ultrasound done for my gallbladder a catscan..and now the Dr. wants to do a hydascan, the nurse at the office explained it to me as well as she could but I really would love more info. on it if anybody has some. I just want to put a name to this problem its driving me crazy! If they do this test and its not my gallbladder I'm wondering what will they check next..who knows..wish me luck..on top of that I had to have a mammogram done Monday and I'm suppose to get those results today. Hope that comes back ok. Thank you , Shawn

Answer 1

My mom is having the exact same problems. The doctors have done the same tests that you have had done and they can't find anything wrong with her so they're sending her to a stomach specialist now. But she had the hydascan done. She said they just gave her a pill to swallow which made her insides "light up." Then she had to lay on a table for about 1 hour 45 minutes while they took pictures of her insides. They also told her not to be around children for about a day afterwards because the pill that you have to take makes you kinda radioactive. But anyway, good luck and I hope everything works out for you.

Answer 2

Hida scan and Dida scan and a bunch of other similar scans are nuclear medicine scans of the gallbladder. HIDA is for hydroxy iminodiacetic acid or some such.

They give you some medicine to as an injection and they get you to lie down on a narrow bed while this big round disc of a "gamma camera" sits over you to track the stuff.

After what seems a long time, then they let you get up and off you go to do your usual stuff and then you see your doctor afterwards (some days later (s)he'll have the report) and discuss things further from there.

Answer 3

Do you mean "HIDA scan"?
A HIDA scan is an imaging test used to examine the gallbladder and the ducts leading into and out of the gallbladder. In this test, also referred to as cholescintigraphy, the patient receives an intravenous injection of a radioactive material called hydroxy iminodiacetic acid (HIDA). The HIDA material is taken up by the liver and excreted into the biliary tract. In a healthy person, HIDA will pass through the bile ducts and into the cystic duct to enter the gallbladder. It will also pass into the common bile duct and enter the small intestine, from which it eventually makes its way out of the body in the stool.
HIDA imaging is done by a nuclear scanner, which takes pictures of the patient's biliary tract over the course of about two hours. The images are then examined by a radiologist, who interprets the results. It is generally a very safe test and is well tolerated by most patients.

Usually, HIDA scans are ordered for patients who are suspected of having an obstruction in the biliary tract, most commonly those who are thought to have a stone blocking the cystic duct leading out of the gallbladder. Such a scenario is consistent with acute cholecystitis, which often requires surgical removal of the gallbladder. In cholecystitis, HIDA will appear in the bile ducts, but it will not enter the cystic duct or the gallbladder -- a finding that indicates obstruction. If the HIDA enters the bile ducts but does not enter the small intestine, then an obstruction of the bile duct (usually due to stones or cancer) is suspected.

Answer 4

Why would you want to get involved in one? Not a good idea!

Answer 5

That test will rule out gallbladder disease or stones. Sometimes the stones are too small to be seen by cscan or xray. The hydascan makes the gallblader contract at the end of the test and they will be able to see most of the problems. It will only hurt if you have stones so be prepared for the pain.