To help your physician determine if you have a urinary tract obstruction.

A technologist will explain the entire process to you prior to starting the exam. He/she will also ask you some health history questions, which will help our radiologist interpret your exam.

A technologist will place an intravenous (IV) line in your arm.  We will have you lie flat on our imaging bed while our camera is positioned under you.  T

he radiopharmaceutical reagent will be injected through the IV line and images will be acquired immediately.  At some time (approximately 15-20 minutes) after the injection you will be given a diuretic that will  “flush” your kidneys out. 

Images will continue for another 20 minutes once you are given the diuretic.

If you have any technical questions, specific to this procedure, please don’t hesitate to ask the technologist at dosing time.  All clinical questions should be directed to your physician.

A report will be sent to your ordering physician.

You will be in our department around 1 hour.

No complications are expected from this procedure.

Studies of the health effects of radiation have shown that high doses of radiation can cause cancer.  However, this hospital procedure requires that we inject you with a very low level of radioactive material. 

The risk from lower doses of radiation, such as you will receive during this exam, is uncertain.  Most scientists believe that the risk is very small.  Certainly, the benefits received from the exam far outweigh the small risk associated with this procedure