A digestive scan, often referred to as a gastric emptying scan, is a nuclear medicine test that measures the rate at which food empties from your stomach. It helps doctors diagnose problems with digestion and stomach function.
Understanding the Process
Here's a breakdown of how a digestive scan works:
- Radioactive Tracer: A small amount of a radioactive substance, called a tracer, is mixed with a solid meal (usually eggs or oatmeal). The amount of radiation is minimal and considered safe.
- Eating the Meal: You'll eat the meal containing the tracer.
- Imaging: A special camera, called a gamma camera, is positioned over your abdomen. It detects the tracer and creates images of your stomach over a period of time, usually one to four hours.
- Monitoring Emptying: The camera tracks how quickly the tracer (and therefore the food) leaves your stomach.
- Analysis: Doctors analyze the images to determine your gastric emptying rate – how long it takes for half of the food to empty from your stomach.
Why is a Digestive Scan Performed?
This test helps identify conditions that affect gastric emptying, such as:
- Gastroparesis: A condition where the stomach empties too slowly. This can be caused by diabetes, nerve damage, surgery, or other medical conditions. Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, bloating, and abdominal pain.
- Rapid Gastric Emptying (Dumping Syndrome): Occurs when food empties too quickly from the stomach into the small intestine. This can happen after certain types of surgery. Symptoms may include diarrhea, cramping, and lightheadedness.
- Delayed Gastric Emptying: Aside from Gastroparesis, other conditions can slow down the emptying of the stomach.
What to Expect During the Test
The procedure itself is generally painless. You might need to avoid certain medications or foods before the test, so it's important to follow your doctor's instructions carefully.
Benefits of a Digestive Scan
- Non-invasive: The scan doesn't require any surgical procedures.
- Accurate: It provides a relatively accurate measurement of gastric emptying rate.
- Diagnostic Information: It helps doctors diagnose the cause of digestive problems and determine the best course of treatment.
In summary, a digestive scan is a valuable diagnostic tool that helps doctors assess how well your stomach is functioning and identify the underlying causes of digestive issues.
