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During your SPECT scan
Most SPECT scans involve two steps: receiving a radioactive dye (called a tracer) and using a SPECT machine to scan a specific area of your body.
Receiving a radioactive substance
You'll receive a radioactive substance through an injection or through an intravenous (IV) infusion into a vein in your arm. In some cases, you may inhale the substance through your nose.
Your body processes the radioactive substance, with your body's more active tissues absorbing more of the substance. For instance, during a seizure, the area of your brain causing the seizure may absorb more of the radioactive tracer, which allows doctors to pinpoint the area of your brain causing your seizures. In another example, cancer cells may absorb more radioactive tracer than other cells because cancer cells usually grow and multiply at a much quicker rate than do healthy cells.
What specific radioactive tracer you receive depends on what type of procedure you're undergoing and what part of your body is being scanned. You may be asked to lie quietly in a room for 15 minutes or more before your scan while your body absorbs the radioactive tracer.
Undergoing the SPECT scan
Members of your health care team position you on a table in the room where you'll undergo your SPECT scan.
The SPECT machine is a large circular device that contains a special camera called a gamma camera, which detects the amount of radioactive tracer absorbed by your body. During your scan, the SPECT machine rotates around you as you lie on the table. The SPECT machine takes pictures of your internal organs and other structures. The pictures are sent to a computer that uses the information to create 3-D images of your body.
How long your scan takes depends on the reason for your procedure. In some cases, you may undergo more scans hours or days later.
After your SPECT scan
Most of the radioactive tracer leaves your body through your urine within a few hours after your SPECT scan. Your doctor may instruct you to drink more fluids, such as juice or water, after your SPECT scan to help flush the tracer from your body. Your body breaks down the remaining tracer over the next day or two.
- Wernick MN, et al. Emission Tomography: The fundamentals of PET and SPECT. San Diego, Calif.: Elsevier; 2004:146.
- General nuclear medicine. RadiologyInfo. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.crm?PG=gennuclear. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Nuclear medicine. American Society of Radiologic Technologists. https://www.asrt.org/content/ThePublic/AboutRadiologicProcedures/Nuclear_Medicine.aspx. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- What is nuclear medicine? Society of Nuclear Medicine. http://interactive.snm.org/index.cfm?PageID=1110&RPID=3106&FileID=5932. Accessed Jan. 12, 2009.
- Computer imaging/tomography. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4554. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Cancer imaging. National Cancer Institute. http://imaging.cancer.gov/imaginginformation/cancerimaging/page5. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
