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Renal perfusion scintiscan - Risks

Alternative Names

Renal perfusion scintigraphy; Radionuclide renal perfusion scan; Perfusion scintiscan - renal; Scintiscan - renal perfusion

What the risks are:

If you are pregnant or nursing, your health care provider may want to postpone the test to prevent exposing the baby to the medications and radioisotopes used. There are certain risks involved with ACE inhibitors. Pregnant women should not take such medicines.

The amount of radioactivity in the injection is very small, and virtually all activity is gone from the body within 24 hours.

Reactions to the materials used during this test are rare, but may include rash, swelling, or anaphylaxis.

Risks of a needle stick are slight but include infection and bleeding.

Special considerations:

The accuracy of this test may be reduced in persons with pre-existing kidney disease. Talk to your health care provider to determine if this test is appropriate for you. Alternatives to this test are an MRI or CT angiogram.

  • Reviewed last on: 10/11/2010
  • Louis S. Liou, MD, PhD, Chief of Urology, Cambridge Health Alliance, Visiting Assistant Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Rankin S. Renal parenchymal disease, including renal failure, renovascular disease and transplantation. In: Adam A, Dixon AK, eds. Grainger & Allison's Diagnostic Radiology: A Textbook of Medical Imaging. 5th ed. New York, NY: Churchill Livingstone; 2008:chap 39.

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