White Blood Cell Scan

What is a White Blood Cell Scan

A White Blood Cell Scan is used to investigate areas of inflammation and / or infection. Also investigation of Crohn’s Disease.

Please advise us beforehand

Please make staff aware if

• you are or think you could be pregnant.
• you are breastfeeding, claustrophobic and/or if you are the primary/sole carer for small children when you book your appointment.
• you have had any reactions to injections used for imaging.

Please bring any previous nuclear medicine scans or any other scans relating to the current problem.

Preparation

No preparation.

How long does a White Blood Cell Scan take

Approximately 7 hours. You are not required to stay on the premises for the entire duration.

The White Blood Cell Scan procedure

We will place a needle in a vein and a sample of your blood is taken. Your white blood cells are separated from the rest of the blood sample. They are then mixed with a small amount of a radioactive tracer that “tags” the white blood cells. The tagged white blood cells are then reinjected back into a vein to allow imaging to be done 1 hour and 3 hours later. Imaging is done under a camera and can take up to 1 hour to complete.

After your examination

It is recommended that you minimise close contact with others (especially babies and small children) for up to 4 hours.

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.