To help your physician in the diagnosis of pernicious anemia  (a type of decreased RBC volume due to malabsorption of vitamin B12).

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.

You will be asked to empty your bladder just prior to start of this exam.  A technologist will give you a pill, which contains a tracer amount of a radioactive material.  You will then be free for about 1 hour while your body absorbs the pill.  You will still be allowed only clear liquids but not allowed to empty your bladder.  After the hour you will be given an intramuscular (IM) injection of vitamin B12.  A container and further instructions on how to collect urine samples will be provided.  It is very important to collect all your urine over the next 24 hours.

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.

Total time for the dosing sequence takes a little over an hour.  You will then be provided with a container for a 24-hour urine collection.

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