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Liver Scan in Bhubaneswar

Liver Scan

Liver Scan in Bhubaneswar

A Liver Scan is a diagnostic procedure that uses nuclear imaging to assess liver function. Specialists often examine the spleen's functionality along with the liver, which can be referred to as a liver-spleen scan. 

Pre-procedure: Before the procedure, you may be advised to remove any jewellery or wearable metallic accessories and wear loose and comfortable clothes. You will not have any particular restrictions on eating or drinking. The events of the procedure are explained to you. In case you are claustrophobic or have any anxiety, our specialists may administer anaesthesia or sedatives.

Procedure: During the procedure, a radiotracer, i.e., Tc99m mostly, is administered into the vein of your arm, which may take around 30 minutes to collect. You will be advised to lie down on the scanner table, where a special camera called a gamma camera is used to detect gamma rays. Specialists may then perform a computed tomography (CT) scan, and the images and gamma readings obtained from the camera are combined to give a detailed view of the liver and spleen.

Post-procedure: After the liver scan in Bhubaneswar, the IV line is removed, and our specialist will provide instructions to avoid any side effects or complications.

 

FAQ's

Specialists might recommend you undergo a Liver Scan for reasons that include the following:

 

  • Diagnose or monitor the progression of chronic liver disease and detect liver lesions.

  • Performed as a follow-up scan for any treatments or medications addressed to a particular liver disease.

  • Identify causes for pain in the upper abdomen and systemic problems affecting both the liver and spleen.

  • Employed by patients as an alternative to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or CT.

  • Determine spleen function issues for kidney transplant recipi

A Liver Scan helps in diagnosing several conditions, some of which include:

 

  • Liver inflammation (hepatitis) or scarring (cirrhosis)

  • Enlarged spleen or liver

  • Fatty liver disease

  • Portal Hypertension

  • Budd-Chiari syndrome, characterised by obstruction of blood flow present in hepatic veins

  • Liver lesions, like abscesses or a benign tumour (hepatic haemangiomas)

  • Liver failure

  • Hyperactive spleen

  • Decreased spleen function due to amyloidosis

  • Splenic injury or infarction in trauma patients

  • Liver cancer, in early, advanced, and recurrent stages

  • Gaucher disease, identified as the accumulation of fatty substances in both, the spleen and liver

 

The amount of radiation used in Liver Scans is generally safe and is usually less than in X-rays. Complications are minimal; however, you have to inform your specialist if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have past allergies induced by radioactive tracers. Moreover, the scan may affect the foetus and contaminate your breast milk. Exposure to ionising radiations due to continuous scans or side effects of radiotracers are some of the risks that may occur during or after the complications. 

During the procedure, continuous movement may produce blurry images, making it difficult for specialists to diagnose. Therefore, you will be instructed to remain still while on the scanning table. Other factors that may affect the accuracy of your Liver Scan include having another radioactive tracer in your system from a recent nuclear imaging test, the presence of barium in your digestive tract from a recent barium test, or increased uptake of radiotracers in other organs, such as the lungs.
 

The whole procedure may take 45 minutes, although this can depend on the complexity of your conditions and other factors such as patient anatomy. It might take an additional 15-20 minutes if specialists recommend undergoing a single-photon emission computed tomography (SPCET)/ computed tomography (CT) scan. Based on your case, specialists will inform you regarding the expected duration of the procedure. 
 

After the scan, you will be asked to slowly get up from the scanning table to avoid any dizziness or lightheadedness. You will be instructed to drink plenty of water to flush out radiotracers for the next 24 hours. Moreover, our medical professionals would check your IV site for any pain, swelling, or discolouration. You can resume your normal activities and return to a normal diet as usual unless specified by our specialists. 

Our specialists may recommend an alternative scan if you feel any discomfort from undergoing a Liver Scan, have allergies to radioactive tracers, or are pregnant, or as a means to validate the results, which include:

  • Abdominal ultrasound 

  • Abdominal CT or MRI

  • Speen or Liver CT

  • Liver elastography

  • Liver or spleen MRI

  • Liver Biopsy

Although specialists conduct the above-mentioned tests as alternatives, MRI or CT scans are usually preferred to assess any problems related to the liver and spleen.

In a normal Liver Scan, the radiotracer administered should absorb evenly without any significant differences on the liver or spleen and look normal in size, shape, and location. If the radiotracer is collected in greater amounts, it is called ‘hot spots’, which might indicate lesions or tumours. On the other hand, 'cold spots' are regions that absorb less or none of the tracer, appearing less bright and potentially indicating liver or spleen damage, especially in trauma cases. If the liver shows reduced tracer uptake while the spleen shows increased uptake, it could suggest impaired liver function. Our specialists will inform you and give you a detailed explanation of your results based on your scan and other assessments. 

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