Nuclear
Medicine Unit
Ninewells Hospital & Medical School
Information for Patients
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Nuclear
Medicine Unit |
Octreotide Scan
What is an Octreotide scan?
An
Octreotide scan examines how several of your internal organs are working.
It is
often used to detect certain types of cancer arising from the neuro-endocrine
systems. These include cancers of
the stomach, intestines, thyroid and pancreas.
We can see where the cancer started (the primary site) and any places it
has spread to (metastases).
Before the scan.
If
you are on Somatostatin therapy, your hospital consultant may ask you to stop
taking the medication about 1 month before the scan.
What is involved?
The scan
takes place over 3 consecutive days.
On the
first day you will come to us twice. In
the morning we will give you an injection in your arm. You are then free to stay in or leave the hospital.
In the afternoon we will take pictures lasting around one hour using a
gamma camera.
During
the scan you will lie still on a bed.
On the
following two afternoons we will take pictures lasting up to 1½ hours.
Please
come directly to Nuclear Medicine for each appointment. No undressing is required and you may eat normally
beforehand.
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Click here to see a larger image of an Octreotide scan |
About Nuclear Medicine
To see general information about Nuclear Medicine scans, including pictures of a gamma camera, select the link below.
Links to other pages
Ó NHS Tayside; 2006; version 1.0
Disclaimer; no liability whatsoever is accepted for information given and all such information, especially with regard to drug usage (UK version provided), must be checked with a person’s health provider.
The procedures described above are those followed by the Nuclear Medicine Unit at Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, Dundee, United Kingdom. Practice elsewhere may be different. The unit serves patients from Tayside and North Fife. Patients from elsewhere should refer to their local clinicians for advice.