VCU Department of Radiology

Nuclear Medicine

Cardiac/Heart/Myocardial Perfusion and Function

1. Advance scheduling is required for all nuclear medicine exams. Call (804) 828-6828.
2. Physical contraindications:
   • If the patient is unable to exercise.
   • If the patient cannot give informed consent.
   • If systolic BP is greater than 220.
   • If hemoglobin is less than 10gm/dL (except with chronic anemia).
   • If potassium is less than 3.5meq/L.

3. Nothing to eat or drink for six hours prior to the exam time except a small amount of water with routine medications.
4. No narcotics for six hours prior to the exam
5. No vasolators or intropes for six hours prior to the exam
6. No nitroglycerine drip for four hours prior to the exam

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Esophogeal Motility Scan

1. Advance scheduling is required for all nuclear medicine exams. Call (804) 828-6828.
2. Patient should have nothing to eat or drink for six hours prior to the exam time except a small amount of water with routine medications.

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Esophogeal Reflux Scan

1. Advance scheduling is required for all nuclear medicine exams. Call (804) 828-6828.
2. Patient should have nothing to eat or drink for six hours prior to the exam time except a small amount of water with routine medications.

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Gastric (stomach) Emptying Scan

Advanced scheduling is required for all nuclear medicine exams. Call (804) 828-6828.

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Adult

1. Nothing to eat or drink from midnight the night before the exam except a small amount of water with routine medications.
2. No barium studies for two to three days prior to the exam.
3. If the patient has an NG tube, you must also order an Abd: KUB X-ray to be done right before this exam to confirm that the tube has not entered the small bowel.

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Pediatric

1. Nothing to eat or drink for six hours prior to the exam time except a small amount of water with routine medications.
2. No barium studies for two to three days prior to this exam.
3. If the patient has an NG tube, you must also order an Abd: KUB X-ray to be done right before the exam to confirm that the tube has not entered the small bowel.

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HIDA Scan, Liver and Gallbladder Scan with Biliary Agent

1. Advance scheduling is required for all nuclear medicine exams. Call (804) 828-6828.
2. Patient should have nothing to eat or drink for six hours prior to the exam time except a small amount of water with routine medications.
3. No morphine for six hours prior to exam.

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Meckel’s Abdominal Scan

1. Advance scheduling is required for all nuclear medicine exams. Call (804) 828-6828.
2. The patient’s physician must call (804) 828-6828 to discuss the pharmacological pretreatment to increase the sensitivity of this exam.
3. Patient should have nothing to eat or drink for six hours prior to the exam time except a small amount of water with routine medications.
4. No barium studies for two to three days prior to the exam.
5. No proctoscopy procedures for two to three days prior to the exam.

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PET (Positron Emission Tomography) Scan

1. Advance scheduling is required for PET scan procedures. Call (804) 828-6828.
2. Patient should have nothing to eat or drink for six hours prior to the exam time except a small amount of water with routine medications.

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Renal Scan with Captopril

1. Advance scheduling is required for all nuclear medicine exams. Call (804) 828-6828.
2. Inform the nuclear medicine physician if the patient is allergic to captopril or enalopril.
3. No ACE inhibitors for 24 to 48 hours prior to the exam.

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Salivary Gland Scan

1. Advance scheduling is required for all nuclear medicine exams. Call (804) 828-6828.
2. Patient should have nothing to eat or drink for six hours prior to the exam time except a small amount of water with routine medications.

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Thyroid

Hyperthyroid Therapy

1. Advance scheduling is required for all nuclear medicine exams. Call (804) 828-6828.
2. Patient should have nothing to eat or drink from midnight the night before the exam except a small amount of water with routine medications.

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Thyroid Ablation

1. Advance scheduling is required for all nuclear medicine exams. Call (804) 828-6828.
2. Low iodine diet for two weeks prior to the exam.
3. Inform the nuclear medicine physician if the patient has taken any medications, food supplements or recent contrast agents containing iodide by calling (804) 828-6828.
4. No thyroid hormone therapy for six weeks prior to the exam.
5. No levothyroxine for six weeks prior to the exam.
6. No liothyronine for two weeks prior to the exam.

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Thyroid Scan

1. Advance scheduling is required for all nuclear medicine exams. Call (804) 828-6828.
2. The nuclear medicine physician must be informed if the patient is taking any medications, food supplements or contrast agents containing iodide. Call (804) 828-6828.
3. Patient should have nothing to eat or drink for four hours prior to the exam time except a small amount of water with routine medications.
4. No thyroid hormone for five to six weeks prior to the exam.
5. No methimazole or propylthiouracil for three to five days prior to the exam.

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Voiding Cystourethrogram (VCUG)

1. Advance scheduling is required for all nuclear medicine exams. Call (804) 828-6828.
2. Foley catheter inserted prior to transport to nuclear medicine.

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• Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center | School of Medicine | Department of Radiology
• 1101 East Marshall Street, Room 4-052 | Richmond, Virginia 23298
• Phone: (804) 828-6600 | Fax: (804) 828-6129 | E-mail: raddept@vcu.edu
• Updated: 07/01/2008

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