Abscess scan - radioactive

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Chest X-ray

Overview

Risks

Results

Abscess scan - radioactive

Alternative Names:

Radioactive abscess scan; Abscess scan

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 a history of 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: 11/3/2004
Reviewed By: Jeffrey J. Brown, MD FACR, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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