Hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scan: What does it tell you?

Posted by JerryP @jfperrone, Jun 27, 2020

Suspect gaul bladder issues. Scheduled for this test? What does it tell you.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Diabetes & Endocrine System Support Group.

It told me I had little gall stone seeds which would grow if not passed or removed so I ate a liquid diet for a while to see if things would calm down. I gave up coffee which didn't help anything, and had the surgery, coming home with a baby jar of seeds for a souvenir. My granddaughter asked me if we were going to plant them in the garden, and I said no. Now the gall runs into my intestine and doesn't collect in a bladder where it was supposed to spill out when needed for digestion. I had pain for a few months and was careful about eating fat, and finally things settled down. The surgery was no sweat at all for me. My friend had one huge, painful gall stone which blocked the gall and would have killed her if she hadn't had it out immediately. So it is different for different people.
Some doctors believe you can change your diet and avoid surgery altogether and prevent the gall stones from forming. It is best to not overdo the fat in your diet all you life, rather than indulge and then fight problems later in life, I believe. Trust what your surgeon thinks is best for you. Dorisena

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Looking back I had 3 events; 2 of which I wound up in the ER. The suspect was heart which later proved not to be. The next suspect is the gall bladder which I am told can seem like a heart problem. Therein lies the need for the scan. When I think back; each of the 3 events followed an unusual heavy meal.

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Hi @jfperrone, Here's more information about the hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scan, also known as cholescintigraphy and hepatobiliary scintigraphy, It is an imaging procedure used to diagnose problems of the liver, gallbladder and bile ducts.
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/hida-scan/about/pac-20384701

Since you are getting this test done to help detect a possible issue with your gallbladder, I also added this discussion to the Digestive Health group (https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/digestive-gastrointestinal-problems/). I'm also tagging fellow members @woodsiechris @msb18 and @sciograndma, who have had a HIDA scan for gallbladder issues - in addition to the info you got from @dorisena

JFperrone, did they say what the suspect or what they hope the scan will reveal?

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I think it was mentioned the rate that the gall bladder empties.

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I had the scan. The tech said it was the last thing he expected to see. After the injection of the fluid everything showed up on the screen Except the gall bladder. The injected fluid was going directly into the small intestine and not into the gall bladder. maybe it's totally clogged? Or infected? Will see my Doctor next week. Could not do the second part of the test to see the ejection rate since there was nothing to see or eject.

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@jfperrone

I had the scan. The tech said it was the last thing he expected to see. After the injection of the fluid everything showed up on the screen Except the gall bladder. The injected fluid was going directly into the small intestine and not into the gall bladder. maybe it's totally clogged? Or infected? Will see my Doctor next week. Could not do the second part of the test to see the ejection rate since there was nothing to see or eject.

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@jfperrone, I will be interested to hear what you learn from your doctor at your followup appointment next week. Please report back.

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No problem, I'll be sure the set up the alarm for Monday morning, so I can't forget, and thanks for the reminder.

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@ruben1407

No problem, I'll be sure the set up the alarm for Monday morning, so I can't forget, and thanks for the reminder.

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that's tomorrow

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well am ready now just send me link thx

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@ruben1407

well am ready now just send me link thx

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Hi @ruben1407, I see that this is your first post to Mayo Clinic Connect and that there may be some confusion. Were you looking to respond to your physician on Mayo's patient portal perhaps? Let me know if I can help direct you to the right place.

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