Department of Diagnostic Imaging
Location: Suite 026
Director: Kurt Meehan, R.T.
Appointments: 216-382-2853
Hours: Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
General Description
What to Expect
How to Prepare
About the Department of Diagnostic Imaging
Registration Form
Notice of Privacy Practices and Patient Rights
General Description
A Gallium Scan uses a special camera that takes pictures of specific areas of the body after a small amount of a radioactive substance makes them visible. (The level of radioactivity is extremely low and has no side effects.) The scan is used to detect hidden infections, inflammatory conditions and to locate certain types of cancers.
What to Expect
The Gallium Scan will be completed in two steps. You will be given an intravenous (IV) injection of Gallium, a radioactive substance that will travel through your bloodstream. After the injection, you will be asked to return either in 24 hours, 48 hours, or 72 hours for the scan. During the scan, you will lie on your back on a padded table with a scanning camera positioned above you. The scanning process will take about 60 - 90 minutes. Your doctor will receive a written report approximately 48 hours after the scan.
- Gallium accumulates in the large intestine (colon) before being eliminated in the stool, which can interfere with test results. To ensure a clear scan, you may need to take a laxative the night before to remove all the Gallium from your colon.
- You may be required to maintain a full liquid diet.
- Continue to take any other medications you normally would, unless your physician has instructed otherwise. NOTE: Do not take any medication containing bismuth prior to the test (such as Pepto-BismolŪ).
- Radiation from the gallium may be passed through breast milk. If you are breastfeeding, then talk to your doctor about possibly stopping the breastfeeding before undergoing a Gallium Scan.
- Please arrive 10 minutes before your appointment and bring the requisition provided by your physician.