The hepatobiliary scan is a scan used to examine the health of the gall bladder and related systems. The gall bladder is a part of the liver system that collects bile which is produced in the liver. This bile is released into the small intestine once digestion has taken place as it helps with the breakdown of fatty substances in the food. The release of bile from the liver takes place more regularly and this bile is stored until it is needed. During digestion, the liver and the gall bladder both release bile which helps with digestion.
The hepatobiliary scan is an imaging scan that uses a radioactive tracer fluid to help properly visualize the gall bladder and related systems. This tracer is designed to highlight the gall bladder during the scan. In preparation for a hepatobiliary scan, the patient must not eat any food. An injection will then be used to insert the tracer into the blood stream. This tracer will make its way to the liver where it will be filtered out of the blood. The tracer then passes out of the liver into the gall bladder. During this time, images will be continuously taken. The patient will then be given a drug to induce contractions of the gall bladder. These contractions normally occur during digestion. However, for the sake of analysis, these contractions are induced so that the function of the bladder and the state of the exit points for the bile can be understood. The total duration of the hepatobiliary scan may be up to four hours from the time of the first injection of tracer fluid. This depends on how the test is progressing. An individual with normal gall bladder function will not be asked to stay for more than an hour because the functioning of the system will be obvious by then. A hepatobiliary scan with CCK may be conducted if the doctor would want to highlight the gall bladder functioning in the individual.
There are a few hepatobiliary scan side effects that the patient should be aware of. One of the hepatobiliary scan side effects is an allergy. Some patients experience an allergic reaction to the contrast material that is injected into their blood. This is why emergency medical equipment is always kept ready to deal with the hepatobiliary scan side effects. Another among hepatobiliary scan side effects is that of pain from the bladder. Individuals who suffer from a bladder problem with experience pain when the contractions are induced. This is one of the hepatobiliary scan side effects that are unavoidable, unless the patient's bladder is healthy, in which case there will be no pain.