Liver and Spleen Scan

Why It Is Done

A liver and spleen scan is done to:

• Check for diseases of the spleen or liver. If liver disease has been diagnosed, a liver scan can help show how well the liver is working.
• Look for cancer in the liver.
• See if cancer has spread (metastasized) to the liver or spleen.
• Show the condition of the liver and spleen after a belly injury.

How To Prepare

Before your liver and spleen scan, tell your doctor if you:

• Are or might be pregnant.
• You are breastfeeding. The radioactive tracer used in this test can get into your breast milk. Do not breastfeed your baby for 2 days after this test. During this time, you can give your baby breast milk you stored before the test, or you can give formula. Discard the breast milk you pump for 2 days after the test.
• Have had an X-ray test using barium contrast material (such as a barium enema) or have taken a medicine (such as Pepto-Bismol) that has bismuth in the last 4 days. Barium and bismuth can block a clear picture.

You will empty your bladder right before the scan.

Talk to your doctor about any concerns you have regarding the need for the test, its risks, how it will be done, or what the results will mean. To help you understand the importance of this test, fill out the medical test information form (What is a PDF document?).

How It Is Done

A liver and spleen scan is often done by a nuclear medicine technologist. The scan pictures are read by a radiologist or nuclear medicine specialist.

You will need to take off any jewelry. You may need to take off all or most of your clothes. You will be given a gown to wear during the test.

During the test

The technologist cleans the site on your arm where the radioactive tracer will be injected. A small amount of the radioactive tracer is then injected.

You will lie on your back on a table and a large scanning camera will be placed right above you. It may move slowly above and around your body, scanning for the tracer and recording pictures as the tracer moves into your liver and spleen. The camera does not give off any radiation, so you are not exposed to more radiation during the scan.

You may be asked to move into different positions so the tracer spreads through the liver and spleen. You need to lie very still during each scan so the pictures are clear. You may be asked to hold your breath briefly during some of the scans.

A liver and spleen scan takes about 1 hour.

How It Feels

You may feel nothing at all from the needle in your vein, or you may feel a quick sting or pinch. You may find it hard to lie still during the scan. Ask for a pillow or blanket to make yourself as comfortable as possible before the scan begins.

What Affects the Test

Reasons you may not be able to have the test or why the results may not be helpful include:

• Being pregnant. A liver and spleen scan is usually not done during pregnancy because the radiation could damage the developing baby (fetus).
• Using barium or bismuth. If a liver and spleen scan is needed, it should be done before any tests that use barium (such as a barium enema).
• Not being able to lie still during the test.

What To Think About

• Computed tomography (CT) scanning and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are often done now instead of a liver and spleen scan to check for problems with these organs.
  • CT Scan of the Body
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the Body
• If a liver and spleen scan show problems, more tests such as a liver biopsy, an ultrasound, or X-rays may be done.
  • Liver Biopsy
  • Abdominal Ultrasound
  • Abdominal X-Ray
• Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a special scan method that may be used during a liver and spleen scan. After the radioactive tracer is injected, a special camera (called a scintillation camera) takes pictures from several views.
• Special types of scans to check the spleen or liver are done by collecting a blood sample from the person. These blood cells are "tagged" with a radioactive tracer. These tagged cells are then given back to the person. One type of scan can show if some part of the spleen is still in the body after surgery to remove the spleen (splenectomy). Another type of tagged red blood cell scan is used to find certain liver problems or areas of bleeding.