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Why it's done
By Mayo Clinic staff
A HIDA scan is most often done to evaluate your gallbladder. It's also used to look at the bile-excreting function of your liver and to track the flow of bile from your liver into your small intestine. A HIDA scan images liver function, which complements images of body structure (anatomy) provided by X-ray and ultrasound.
A HIDA scan may help in the diagnosis of several diseases and conditions, such as:
- Gallbladder inflammation (cholecystitis)
- Bile duct obstruction
- Congenital abnormalities in the bile ducts, such as biliary atresia
- Postoperative complications, such as bile leaks and fistulas
- Assessment of liver transplant
Your doctor may use a HIDA scan as part of a test to measure the rate at which bile is released from your gallbladder (gallbladder ejection fraction).
References
- Tulchinsky M, et al. SNM practice guideline for hepatobiliary scintigraphy 4.0. Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology. 2010;38:210.
- General nuclear medicine. RadiologyInfo.org. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=gennuclear&bhcp=1. Accessed Sept. 14, 2010.
- Practice guideline for the performance of adult and pediatric hepatobiliary scintigraphy. Reston, Va.: American College of Radiology. http://www.acr.org/SecondaryMainMenuCategories/quality_safety/guidelines/nuc_med/hepatobiliary_scintigraphy.aspx. Accessed Sept. 14, 2010.
- Lambie H, et al. Tc99m-hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scintigraphy in clinical practice. Clinical Radiology. 2011;66:1094.
- Hoekstra L, et al. Physiological and biochemical basis of clinical liver function tests. Annals of Surgery. 2013;257:27.
- Nathan MA. (Expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 12, 2013.
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