Gallbladder Scan

A gallbladder scan is a Reference nuclear scanning test that is done to check Reference gallbladder Opens New Window function. The scan can find blockage in the tubes (bile ducts) that lead from the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine (Reference duodenum Opens New Window). See a picture of the Reference gallbladder Opens New Window Reference Opens New Window and the Reference duodenum Opens New Window Reference Opens New Window.

During a gallbladder scan, a Reference radioactive tracer Opens New Window substance is injected into a vein in the arm. The liver removes the tracer from the bloodstream and adds it to the bile that normally flows through the bile ducts to the gallbladder. The gallbladder then releases the tracer into the beginning of the small intestine. A special camera (gamma) takes pictures of the tracer as it moves through the liver, bile ducts, gallbladder, and small intestine.

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