Thyroid scan

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Thyroid enlargement - scintiscan

Overview

Risks

Results

Thyroid scan

Alternative Names:

Scan - thyroid; Radioactive iodine screening test - thyroid; RAUI; Nuclear scan - thyroid

What the risks are:

All radiation has possible side effects. There is a very small amount of radiation in the radioisotope ingested during this test, but women who are nursing or pregnant should discuss the risks to the fetus or infant with their health care providers before taking this test.

The concerns regarding radiation side effects are taken into consideration when the test is ordered, but the benefits of taking the test usually far outweigh the risks.

Special considerations:

Thyroid scans using radinuclides are used with other studies, such as blood tests and ultrasound, to evaluate the thyroid. Your doctor may send you for more than one type of test.

Review Date: 8/3/2005
Reviewed By: Jonathan Gross, M.D., Department of Radiology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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