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HWN Suggests

I had a HIDA scan!

I had to fast after midnight the day before and like I mentioned I had an abdominal sonogram right before I went in for my HIDA scan. Honestly when I first got in this thing it reminded me of a seat in a spaceship, however my doctor quickly informed me that I would not be going into space haha! This picture is a real picture of me, and this is what it looked like. I had to lay inside this for about 2 hours or so, just like this. I wasn’t allowed to move around much and I couldn’t move my arms or my hands anywhere near my chest or stomach. The nuclear medical scanner stayed in that position, about an inch from my chest the entire time. Luckily, I am not too claustrophobic so for me it wasn’t…

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Abdominal Pain, Repeated Vomiting, Quickened Heartbeat

The H.I.D.A. scan is supposed to test for gallbladder function, but its reliability is still controversial...

Finally, a test that pushed me over the edge

I don’t know what I expected a HIDA scan to be, but it was nowhere near what it was. I’m used to walking in to these things and dealing with them, whatever they might be. As soon as I looked at the HIDA scan machine, I knew I was in big trouble. It looked somewhat like a CAT scanner. I lay on my back and a camera was moved into position above my liver/gall bladder and The Nice Lady told me I had to lie still for 45 minutes. Then, they would put something into my IV, and I’d have to lie even stiller for another 31 minutes.

HIDA Scan and Surprise Date Night

I'm sure you're wondering what in the world a HIDA is? Well let me tell you! A few weeks back, after receiving my ultra sound results, I learned that I would be in need of a HIDA scan. The purpose of this test is to see how well your gallbladder functions.

Is HIDA Scan Necessary for Sonographically Suspicious Cholecystitis?

Our study indicates that HIDA scan is still superior to ultrasound in diagnosing cholecystitis, having a higher sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy than ultrasound, but with a similar PPV. Given the increasing availability of ultrasound imaging, as well as the increasing proficiency of medical personnel in performing this diagnostic test, ultrasound has the potential of becoming a true extension of the physical exam, rendering other tests unnecessary in the diagnosis of specific conditions, such as cholecystitis. Finally, such findings are particularly relevant and timely in the era of increased awareness to healthcare costs.

It's Galling: diagnostic dilemmas and the gallbladder

If a person has pain very suggestive of gallbladder origin but has no stones, biliary dyskinesia is properly suspected. To what extent there's a reliable test for it is a matter of opinion. It always has been, and remains, first and foremost a "diagnosis of exclusion," meaning once you step into that arena, you need to go through the long list of other possibilities and rule them out. Then you do a HIDA scan with CCK (Hepatic IminoDiacetic Acid; CholeCystoKinin); ie, injecting a material that's taken up in bile, illuminating the gallbladder, then giving a hormone that makes the gallbladder contract.)

The role of 99mtechnetium-labelled hepato imino diacetic acid (HIDA) scan in the management of biliary pain

HIDA scan is a useful clinical tool as an adjunct to the diagnosis and management of patients who present with typical biliary pain and a normal TUS scan.

What is a Hida Scan?

A HIDA scan is used to reveal any functional and structural abnormality of the biliary system.

Resources

Loyola University Chicago's School of Medicine

HIDA scans can be falsely positive when the gallbladder is not filling in the absence of cholecystitis. These situations include severe liver disease, patients on total parenteral nutrition, hyperbilirubinemia, inadequate fasting, and alcohol and opiate abuse. In the presence of cystic duct obstruction the gall bladder does not fill with isotope.

StatPearls.com

The utility of hepatobiliary IDA or HIDA scan is that the radiotracer follows the bilirubin metabolic pathway and excretion into the bile ducts; this allows the evaluation of biliary pathology such as obstruction and to a lesser extent evaluation of biliary anatomy and hepatic function.

MayoClinic

A HIDA scan is most often done to evaluate your gallbladder. It's also used to look at the bile-excreting function of your liver and to track the flow of bile from your liver into your small intestine. A HIDA scan is often used with X-ray and ultrasound.

MedicineNet

Cholescintigraphy is most commonly used to diagnose problems with the gallbladder when other more commonly-performed tests, particularly ultrasonography, are normal or non-diagnostic.

RadiologyInfo.com

Hepatobiliary nuclear medicine imaging helps evaluate the parts of the biliary system, including the liver, gallbladder and bile ducts, using small amounts of radioactive materials called radiotracers that are typically injected into the bloodstream, inhaled or swallowed.

WikiDoc

A Hepatobiliary Imino-Diacetic Acid scan, [HIDA scan] or cholescintigraphy is a radiology imaging procedure to evaluate the health and function of the gall bladder. The radioactive tracer is injected through any accessible vein, then allowed to circulate to the liver, where it is excreted into the biliary system and stored by the gallbladder and biliary system.