MedicineNet.com
About Us | Privacy Policy | Site Map
September 6, 2008
  MedicineNet home Picture Slideshows Diseases and conditions Symptoms and signs Procedures and tests Medications Health and Living Health news and views MedTerms medical dictionary  
Font Size
A
A
A


Thyroid Scan

Medical Author: Ruchi Mathur, MD
Medical Editor: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

What is the thyroid gland?

The thyroid is a gland that makes and stores essential hormones that help regulate the heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and the rate of chemical reactions (metabolism) in the body. It is located in the anterior neck just below the Adams apple.

Thyroid Gland

The thyroid gland is the, is the main part of the body that takes up iodine. In a thyroid scan, iodine is labeled with a radioactive tracer, and a special camera is used to measure how much tracer is absorbed from the bloodstream by the thyroid gland. If a patient is allergic to iodine, technetium can be used as an alternative.

How is the thyroid scan performed?

A thyroid scan is an outpatient procedure usually done in the nuclear medicine section of a hospital. This is usually part of the Radiology department.

If you have a thyroid scan, you will be asked to take a drink, or swallow a pill containing the iodine. You will then wait for the iodine to be taken up by the thyroid - usually about 4 hours. At this time you lie under a scintography camera, and it will take pictures which correlate directly to the amount of iodine taken up by the thyroid. This is done by counting the intensity and location of the gamma rays emitted by the radioactively labeled iodine. You then leave the hospital, and return in 24 hours to have a second scan performed in the same manner.

There are no limitations during this 24 hour interval except that you will be asked to take precautions when you urinate. This is because the radioactive iodine is removed from your body by the urine, and it is safer to have others avoid contact with your urine during this time. Be sure to let the doctor performing the test know if you have a iodine allergy, or if you have ingested a lot of iodine-containing foods (like sushi) prior to the test.



Next: When is thyroid scanning helpful? »

Printer-Friendly Format  |  Email to a Friend


space Related health and medical articles From the Doctors at MedicineNet.com MedicineNet Doctors recommend space
space
MedicineNet Doctors Recommend
  • Thyroid Nodules - Thyroid nodules can be either benign or malignant (cancerous). The majority of thyroid nodules are benign. Source:MedicineNet
  • Thyroid Cancer - Read about thyroid cancer symptoms, diagnosis, treatments (surgery, chemotherapy, radioactive iodine), types (papillary, follicular, medullary, anaplastic), and causes. Source:Government
  • Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - Read about Hashimoto's thyroiditis causes, and symptoms, which include fatigue, depression, and sensitivity to cold, weight gain, muscle weakness, dry or brittle hair, constipation, difficulty swallowing, or a lump in the neck. Diagnosis and treatment information also discussed. Source:MedicineNet
  • Read 16 more Thyroid Scan related articles ...
Latest Medical News
space

Women's Health

Find out what women really need.




Topics Related to Thyroid Scan


Thyroid Scan
RSS FeedSpecialty RSS       Add to My Yahoo! What is this?

Fatigue or Something More?Fatigue or Something More?
If you’re feeling tired all the time, the problem may be more dangerous than you might think. See more WebMD Videos »












Health categories:

Slideshows | Diseases & Conditions | Symptoms & Signs | Procedures & Tests | Medications | Health & Living | News & Views | Medical Dictionary

Popular health centers:

Allergies | Arthritis | Cancer | Diabetes | Digestion | Healthy Kids | Heart | Men's Health | Mental Health | Women's Health | More...

Publications:

ePublications (PDFs) | XML News via RSS | Audio Podcasts | Email Newsletters

MedicineNet.com:

About Us | Privacy Policy | Search Help | Site Map | WebMD® | Medscape® | eMedicine® | eMedicineHealth® | RxList®

HON Code We comply with the HONcode standard for health trust worthy information:
verify here.

©1996-2008 MedicineNet, Inc. All rights reserved. Notices and Legal Disclaimer.
MedicineNet does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.