Thyroid Scan

What is a Thyroid Scan

A Thyroid scan is used to evaluate your thyroid function, shape, location and size.

What are the benefits of a Thyroid Scan

• Diagnosis of nodules on the thyroid
• Diagnosis and appearance of hyper functioning or hypo functioning thyroid tissue
• Diagnosis of multi nodular goitre
• Non-invasive
• Bulk-billed*

What are the risks of a Thyroid Scan

• Not suitable for pregnant women
• Breastfeeding must be ceased for 24 hours post test to allow time for the radioactive tracer to decay and exit the body.

Preparation

• No iodine contrast for 4 weeks prior to the scan
• Some medications will need to be stopped prior to the test
• Consult with your referring doctor and our friendly staff to understand what medications may need stopping

How long does a Thyroid Scan take

• Following initial consultation, an injection of a radioactive tracer is administered. You will then wait for around 20 minutes for this to have uptake in the thyroid, imaging will then commence.
• Imaging normally takes around ½ hr
• Around 1 hour in total for the exam

The Thyroid Scan procedure

Part 1: You will be given a small injection of a radioactive tracer that is taken up by your thyroid gland. This injection shouldn’t make you feel any different.

Part 2: Images of your neck and thyroid are taken after a wait of 20min and will take 15-40 minutes.

After your examination

After your thyroid scan, you can continue your day as normal. There are no restrictions.

What happens to my results, Images and report

All images for your study will be available on the myPRP patient portal soon after your examination is complete. A report that includes a link to your study will be sent directly to your referring doctor. PRP Imaging will store digital copies of all studies on our secure database for comparison with any future examinations.

Normal and abnormal studies are both important for your management and PRP Imaging encourages you to return to your doctor for review of the results.