digestive disorders
Nuclear Scans of the Digestive Tract
Bleeding Scan
A bleeding scan is sometimes done to determine the location of bleeding in the digestive tract. For this scan, radioactive material is attached to red blood cells or other material that is injected into the bloodstream. The gamma camera can show the part of the digestive tract where the radioactive-labeled cells are leaking out of the intestine, suggesting the location of the bleeding. This scan is useful mainly for people who have brisk bleeding in the digestive tract and who are not good candidates for Endoscopy or for people who have bleeding but whose bleeding source has not been found with other diagnostic tests. The bleeding scan works only when there is active bleeding; it cannot show the location if bleeding has stopped. 