Biliary Scan

A Biliary Scan looks at the function of the gallbladder.

Preparation

This study will take up to three hours to complete. A parent or guardian may stay with the child. Siblings are not allowed in the room during the test. Eating and drinking is not allowed in the room.

• No eating or drinking 4 hours before the test.
• No morphine or other narcotics for 4 hours before the test.

What to expect

Part 1

Your child will need Intravenous (IV) access for this procedure.  An IV is a needle that is inserted into a vein most often in the arm or back of the hand. An injection containting a small amount of radioactive medicine will be given through the IV.

• Your child will be lying down on our imaging bed and a seat belt will be placed across their body for safety and to help them remain still while pictures are taken.
• Your child should not feel any discomfort during the pictures and can choose to be distracted. This part will take 1 hour to complete.

Part 2

For this part, your child will be given a medication called CCK through the IV or a fatty meal to eat.  Which your child gets will be determined by the Nuclear Medicine physician. Pictures will then be taken for another hour.

Post-test

It is important to give your child fluids for the rest of the day to keep them hydrated and help the medicine leave the body quicker.

The scan results are given by a doctor specialized in Nuclear Medicine and not by the technologist doing the test.  A report is sent to your doctor’s office, usually within 2-3 business days.

Please call the Nuclear Medicine Department at 416-813-6065 if you have any questions about the procedure or if you need to change the appointment.