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Your doctor has requested a Thyroid scan and Uptake study. This booklet will answer some of the questions you may have. 

What is a Thyroid Scan and Uptake study?  

A Thyroid scan and Uptake study is a simple and painless way of taking pictures of your thyroid gland using a radioactive tracer. This test will provide your physician with information about the structure and the function of your thyroid gland. 

What is involved?  

You will be given two appointments over two consecutive days for your test: 

Day 1 (Thyroid scan, 1 hour): When you arrive in the department, a technologist will explain the entire procedure to you and then give you the opportunity to ask any questions. You will then receive an injection of a radioactive tracer into a vein in your arm. There are no known side effects from this injection. After 5 to 10 minutes, you will be asked to lie down on an imaging table and a special detector, called a gamma camera, will be placed over your neck. The technologist will take several images of your neck from different angles. 

The technologist will then ask you to swallow a capsule, containing radioactive iodine. The amount of radioactivity in this capsule is very small and you will experience no reaction to it. You will be given a time to return the following day as it takes about 24 hours for the iodine to adequately accumulate in the thyroid gland. You are under no restrictions during this time. 

Day 2 (Uptake, 15 min): The technologist will seat you in a chair and place a special detector close to your neck for about 5 minutes to measure how much of the iodine has accumulated in the thyroid gland. 

A Nuclear Medicine Physician will examine your neck on either day 1 or 2. This part will take approximately 30 min.  

Depending on your clinical indication, sometimes only the thyroid scan or the uptake will be performed, independent of each other, based on the discretion of the physician. 

Do I need to prepare for the scan?  

• Bring your Health card. 
• Certain thyroid medications interfere with this study and these should be discontinued prior to the test. The clerk who books your test will ask you for a complete list of the medications that you are taking. It is important that you also bring your list of medications to your first appointment. Please check with your physician before stopping any medication. 
• You must not have had any iodinated contrast agents for at least 4 weeks before this procedure can be booked.  
• You must refrain from eating sushi or seafood for 2 weeks prior to the test. 
• Please leave all valuables at home. 
• Please notify our booking office at the time of scheduling your appointment if you have any concerns regarding claustrophobia, lying still, require a mechanical lift for transfer to the imaging bed, have a language barrier or any other special needs, so that appropriate arrangements can be made ahead to provide you with the best possible care. 

Will it hurt? 

Only the pinprick of the injection needle may hurt a bit. You may have had a blood test in the past. This is much the same. 

Is the radiation dangerous? 

The injection contains a small amount of radioactive tracer which emits gamma rays (these are similar to X-rays). The radiation dose is very low and will disappear by itself after a month. The results of your scan will give your doctor useful information about your condition and will help them plan your treatment. The benefits of having the scan far outweigh any potential risk from the small radiation dose.  

Do I need to do anything after the scan? 

No special precautions are needed after the scan. If you are travelling across any borders in the seven days after your scan, please ask us for further advice. Border crossings and airports have very sensitive radiation detectors which may pick up tiny amounts of radioactivity remaining after your scan. We will give you a letter that you can show to customs officials at border crossings or airports. 

Is there anything I should tell the staff before the injection? 

Please tell us if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.  

What about breastfeeding? 

Breastfeeding will need to be interrupted for at least 4 days and may need to be discontinued entirely. It is vital that you ensure that we are aware if you are pregnant and/or breastfeeding. 

How will I get the results of my scan? 

A specially trained doctor will examine the pictures. This is normally done soon after the end of the scan. A report is then sent to the doctor who asked us to do the scan. Your doctor will normally receive the report within one week. You will also have access to the report on MyChart as soon as it is released. 

If you have questions about the scan results or report, please contact your doctor directly. They are best able to interpret the report for you. 

Will this test cost me money? 

No. This test is paid for by the healthcare system. The test costs several hundred dollars, so please notify the department at 613-761-4831 if you cannot make your appointment. 

What should I do if I cannot make my appointment? 

If you cannot make you appointment, it is important that you notify the department at 613-761-4831 as soon as possible. Failure to make your appointment results in wasting of expensive materials that are ordered especially for your appointment and also reduces availability to other patients. Missed appointments may also result in delays of your treatments. 

Directions and Parking 

Civic Campus  1053 Carling Avenue – 1st Floor Tel.: 613-761-4831, option 8 Hours: Mon. – Fri., 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Directions: From within the Civic Campus, take the “C” elevators to the 1st Floor and follow the signs to Nuclear Medicine. Patients may also ask for directions at the patient information desk.	General Campus  501 Smyth Road – Main level Tel.: 613-761-4831, option 8 Hours: Mon. – Fri., 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Directions: From the main entrance, follow the signs on the main level (located at the public elevators). Patients may also ask for directions at the patient Information desk.
Park in either parking lot off Carling Avenue (P7) or in the multistory parking garage (P1).	Park in the parking garage which is located beside the main entrance just off Smyth Road.

Parking instructions 

• All parking lots are automated  
• Take the parking ticket with you inside.  
• When you have completed your appointment, you can pay by cash or credit card at one of our pay stations, or you can pay by credit card with express exit at the parking lot exit gates (the grace period after payment to leave facility is 20 minutes). 
• Payment methods: 
  • Pay stations: Cash or credit card (Visa, MasterCard or American Express). 
• Maximum parking fee is $13.00 

Visit The Ottawa Hospital’s website for additional directions and parking instructions and maps

Last updated on: April 26th, 2022