Kidney Scan: How It Is Done

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How It Is Done

A kidney scan is usually done by a nuclear medicine technologist. The scan pictures are usually interpreted by a radiologist or nuclear medicine specialist.

You will need to remove any jewelry that might interfere with the scan. You may need to take off all or most of your clothes, depending on which area is being examined (you may be allowed to keep on your underwear if it does not interfere with the test). You will be given a cloth or paper covering to use during the test.

The technologist cleans the site on your arm where the radioactive tracer will be injected. A small amount of the radioactive tracer is then injected. Medicine to increase your urine output (a diuretic) may also be injected. You may lie on your back on a table, stand, or sit upright. A large scanning camera will be positioned closely above your abdomen.

Functional study

For a functional study, the camera will scan for radiation right after the radioactive tracer is injected. Scans may be taken every few minutes for about 30 minutes. The scans produce pictures as the tracer moves through your kidneys. You may also be given medicine to help the scans check for certain kidney functions.

A chart called a renogram may be made using the information from the functional study scans by plotting the movement of the tracer through the kidneys and recording it on a graph. A series of chart recordings is then made based on the amount of tracer uptake in the kidneys over a period of time. These recordings provide information about different phases of blood flow and kidney function.

A functional kidney scan usually takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Cortical scan

For a cortical scan, the radioactive tracer is injected and some pictures are usually taken right away. More pictures will be taken 1 to 2 hours after the tracer was injected.

A cortical scan usually takes about 2 hours.

You need to remain very still during each scan to avoid blurring the pictures. The camera does not produce any radiation, so you are not exposed to any additional radiation while the scan is being done.

Last updated:	October 24, 2008
Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Myo Min Han, MD - Nuclear Medicine
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer