What is the dye used for a liver scan?

Question

i know its injected into the blood then it goes to your liver. but what exactly is this "radioactive tracer" called? is this the same dye they use for a MRI?

Answer 1

If you are refering to a HIDA scan or cholescintigraphy, then the material used is hydroxy iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) that is bound to a radioactive synthetic element known as technetium-99m (Tc-99m)

The HIDA material is taken up by the liver and excreted into the biliary tract. The half life is about 6.01 h and decays via gamma radiation.

No it is not the same as what is used in the MRI. The typical "dye" used is gadolinium and it not radioactive.

See references for more info.

Answer 2

For liver evaluation it's usually a nuclear scan, and a radioactive isotope of Cobolt or Iodine is injected into a vein, then after a period of waiting, your liver is scanned. Except for the injection, it is completely painless.

You are not "radioactive" afterwards. The amount of radiation you receive is less than you get from an old fashioned chest x-ray. (I say old-fashioned, because newer techniques continue to lower the dose of radiation from this common procedure.)

Technically it's not a dye, but rather, a rare earth element called Gadolinium that is used in MRI scans to enhance the quality of the image.

Answer 3

A liver scan uses a radioactive isotope to help determine how well the liver and/or spleen is functioning.
Alternative names for the dye/scan are:
Technetium scan; Liver technetium sulfur colloid scan; Liver-spleen radionuclide scan; Nuclear scan - technetium; Nuclear scan - liver or spleen.
REMIND YOU LIVER HAS SPECIAL AFFINITY FOR SULFUR AS BRAIN HAS FOR GLUCOSE.