This is an automatically translated article.
The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Quang Duc - Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine - Vinmec Times City International General Hospital.Thyroid scintigraphy is an imaging method that works based on the emission of some specific radioactive substances that are introduced into the patient's body. Through the results of thyroid scan, the doctor can assess whether the size and shape of the thyroid gland is abnormal, and at the same time, detect areas of cell growth that are different from the rest. of the thyroid gland to diagnose a number of related diseases.
1. What is a thyroid scan?
Thyroid scan is a method of inserting a radioactive tracer into the patient's body through an intravenous or oral route and using a measuring device to examine the shape, size and absorption of radioactive material of the thyroid gland.
Thyroid scan allows you to know the areas of the thyroid gland that are less or more active than normal, thereby orienting the diagnosis to certain diseases. Usually, the camera will be able to approach from 3 different directions so it can assess most areas of the thyroid gland. In clinical practice today, the radioactive substance most commonly used for thyroid scans is iodine-131, I-123 or technetium 99m
In addition, if the patient has had thyroid cancer and has been treated. Before that, it is possible to take a whole-body thyroid scan with I-131 to evaluate the treatment process, see if there is a metastatic tumor, from which there is a next treatment method.
To take a thyroid scan, the patient needs to prepare the following:
Inform the treating doctor about the drugs that you use every day or recently used often because with some types Drugs, when radioactive substances are introduced into the patient's body, can cause unwanted reactions. Tell your doctor about thyroid hormone treatment and anti-thyroid medications if available. Tell your doctor if you are allergic to medications, or to certain substances such as iodine. Tell your doctor about any history of procedures that use radioactive material because it may affect the results of this scan. Inform your doctor about your pregnancy and lactation, if any. Do some tests before having a thyroid scan such as testing to measure the levels of TSH, T3, T4. Do not eat before having a thyroid scan as prescribed by your doctor.
Xạ hình tuyến giáp là phương pháp đưa chất đánh dấu phóng xạ vào cơ thể bệnh nhân qua đường tĩnh mạch hoặc đường uống
2. Thyroid scan results
Thyroid scan results:
Normal: The results show that the thyroid gland is small, 5cm long, 5cm wide, has a butterfly-shaped shape, and the radioactive substance spreads evenly in the thyroid gland. Abnormalities: If an abnormality occurs, the thyroid image may be large or small and appear areas of increased or decreased radioconcentration than normal. These are manifestations of abnormal pathological problems such as inflammation, disorder, cancer... Besides, when taking a full-body scan, there may be a lot of iodine in the bones. for patients who have had a previous thyroidectomy for cancer. In addition, if any area of the body shows signs of increased or decreased concentration of radioactivity, cancer may have spread to that area.
In summary, although thyroid scan is not harmful to the patient's body and is highly effective in diagnosis and treatment monitoring, it should be noted to perform this method correctly and safely. There are a number of factors that do not affect the patient's health as well as the accuracy of thyroid scan results.
Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital has introduced the SPECT/CT Discovery NM/CT 670 Pro system with the most modern 16-sequence CT of the world's leading medical equipment maker GE Healthcare (USA), for quality images. High quality, helps in early diagnosis of thyroid disease as well as other diseases. Accordingly, the entire examination process at Vinmec is performed by a team of experienced, well-trained medical staff at home and abroad, so they can advise and support customers in the process. photography, even for foreign customers.
Customers wishing to learn about bone imaging techniques at Vinmec can contact the hospital for service.
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