General information
A doctor has asked that we take some pictures of your heart and the blood supply to the heart muscle. Your test will take place over two separate days, as indicated on your appointment letter.
As the test involves small amounts of radiation, we ask that you are not accompanied by children under 18 or anyone who may be pregnant. You may bring one adult with you to the department.
If the appointment clashes with another outpatient appointment or test, or you are unable to attend on this day, please contact the Nuclear Medicine department on the number provided as soon as possible. We can then reschedule the test and assign the appointment to another patient.
If you have mobility issues, are incontinent or claustrophobic please contact the department on the number provided.
Please contact the department as soon as possible if you have a history of seizures or fits.
Benefit and risks of the test
Everyone receives some radiation every day from the radioactivity in the air, food we eat and even from space. The amount of radiation in a nuclear medicine test is similar to your natural exposure over three years. The risks linked with this are low.
The main benefit of the test is making the correct diagnosis, so you can get the treatment that is right for you. This benefit is far greater than the small risk from radiation.
If you have any concerns, please contact the department in advance or ask to speak to someone on the day of your scan.
Preparation
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, you must inform the department as soon as possible as special arrangements may have to be made.
Please bring with you a list of any medication that you are taking (your repeat prescription sheet if possible).
On both days you must not eat anything for 4 hours before your appointment.
DAY 1
Some medications and caffeine will affect your scan. The items that you need to stop for the test are given below. Please take all other medication as normal.
- For 48 hours before your appointment stop: Dipyridamole
- For 24 hours before your appointment stop: Aminophylline, theophylline or any other xanthines
- For 24 hours before your appointment stop: Caffeine (e.g. coffee, tea, drinking chocolate, cola, Lucozade, decaffeinated drinks) and orange juice.
DAY 2
On the second day you may drink and take your medications as normal.
If you are diabetic, please contact the department for appropriate alterations with regards to fasting and medication. Please also bring any diabetic medications with you to your appointment.
If you do not comply with the advised preparations, your test will unfortunately have to be postponed.
Please contact the department if further clarification is necessary.
What does the test involve?
There are two parts to this test.
DAY 1
On the first day you will be asked to lie on a bed. You will be given a drug that will make your heart work a little harder, like when you exercise. You will be monitored throughout this process. When your heart is working hard enough, a small amount of radioactive tracer will be injected into a vein in your arm. There should be no ill effects from the injection.
Approximately 15 minutes after your injection, you will be asked to lie flat on a different bed. Some ECG electrodes will be attached to you, and you will be asked to raise your arms above your head. A Gamma Camera (see pictures below) will then move around you and take pictures of the blood supply to your heart. We may use a CT attached to the camera to give us more information. The pictures take about 10 minutes, and this process will be repeated after a short wait period. Some patients may not need repeat pictures, which is perfectly normal.
The pictures will be checked before you are allowed to leave the department.
You will then be free to leave the department until your day 2 pictures.
DAY 2
If you wear a bra, please wear the same bra on both days.
On the second day you will be asked to sit in a chair, like when you rest. Then a small amount of radioactive tracer will be injected into a vein in your arm once again.
After approximately 15 minutes, you will be asked to lie flat on a bed again. ECG electrodes will once again be attached and the same pictures as day 1 will be taken.
When your test is reported, the pictures taken on both days are compared. It is important you attend both appointments.
After the test
For the rest of the day, you must take extra care to wash your hands thoroughly after toilet use, sit down when you use the toilet and to flush the toilet twice. You must also continue to drink extra fluids and empty your bladder frequently. This will improve the clearance of the radiation from your body.
When the test is completed, the images will be reviewed, and a report will be available to the doctor who has requested the test.
Radiation information
If you would like to find out more about medical radiation, please access the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/medical-radiation-uses-dose-measurements-and-safety-advice
The camera
The Gamma Camera used to take the pictures has an open design and the majority of patients complete the test without any discomfort.
Contact details
If you have any questions about any of this information, please contact the Nuclear Medicine Department on 01522 573103.