Health Encyclopedia

Home | List of Topics | Radiology | Nuclear Medicine

Abscess scan - radioactive

Definition

Radioactive abscess scan uses white blood cells tagged with radioactive indium and x-rays to find abscesses in the body.

Alternative Names

Radioactive abscess scan; Abscess scan

How the test is performed

Blood is drawn from a vein, usually from the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand. The puncture site is cleaned with antiseptic. An elastic band is placed around the upper arm to apply pressure and cause the vein to swell with blood.

A needle is inserted into the vein, and the blood is collected in an air-tight vial or a syringe. During the procedure, the band is removed to restore circulation. Once the blood has been collected, the needle is removed, and the puncture site is covered to stop any bleeding.

The blood sample is then sent to the lab where they isolate the white blood cells (WBCs), and tag them with the radioactive substance, indium. The cells are then reinjected through another venipuncture.

You will have an appointment to return after 24 - 48 hours for the nuclear medicine scan component of this test in which clustering of WBCs outside the liver, spleen and bone marrow will be identified.

How to prepare for the test

You must wear a hospital gown and remove all jewelry.

Inform the health care provider if you are pregnant. This procedure is NOT advised if you are pregnant. If you are a premenopausal woman, you should use some form of birth control during the course of this procedure.

How the test will feel

When the needle is inserted to draw blood, some people feel moderate pain, while others feel only a prick or stinging sensation. Afterward, there may be some throbbing.

The nuclear medicine scan is painless. There may be some discomfort lying flat and still on the scanning table for a short period of time.

Why the test is performed

This test is used to identify an abscess in the body when a person has signs and symptoms of sepsis, or your health care provider wants to know the cause of surgical complications.

White blood cells are the body's means of fighting infection, and this test enables your health care provider to follow these cells and see if they are accumulating around a site of infection. It is expected that there will be groupings of white blood cells in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow, but if groupings of cells exist elsewhere, an abscess or other inflammatory process is possible.

Normal Values

Normal findings would show no abnormal accumulation of white blood cells.

What abnormal results mean

An accumulation of white blood cells outside of the normal areas indicate either an abscess or other type of inflammatory process.

What the risks are

• Some bruising may occur at the site of injection
• There is always a slight chance of infection when the skin is broken

There is low-level radiation exposure. Radioactive injections are monitored and regulated to provide the minimum amount of radiation exposure needed to produce the image. Most experts feel that the risk is very low compared with the benefits.

Pregnant women and children are more sensitive to the risks of the x-ray.

Special considerations

Inform your health care provider if you have or had any of the following:

• Gallium (Ga) scan within the previous month (could interfere with test results)
• Hemodialysis (may cause a false negative)
• Hyperglycemia (may cause a false negative)
• Total parenteral (through an IV) nutrition (may cause a false negative)
• Steroid therapy (may cause a false negative)
• Long-term antibiotic therapy (may cause a false negative)

Review Date:10/23/2006
Reviewed By:Stuart Bentley-Hibbert, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial process. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

The Agency for Health Care Administration (Agency) and this website do not claim the information on, or referred to by, this site is error free. This site may include links to websites of other government agencies or private groups. Our Agency and this website do not control such sites and are not responsible for their content. Reference to or links to any other group, product, service, or information does not mean our Agency or this website approves of that group, product, service, or information.

Additionally, while health information provided through this website may be a valuable resource for the public, it is not designed to offer medical advice. Talk with your doctor about medical care questions you may have.