The Gallium scan is a test used to detect inflammation. Inflammation can be an indication of tumors or infections. It is often used to assess and follow patients with Hodgkin’s disease and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Gallium imaging utilizes the uptake of a radioactive form of gallium (67Ga) which has a high affinity for tumor cells and white blood cells (sites of inflammation).

(GALIUM IMAGE)

How it Works - What will Happen:

You will report to the nuclear medicine department of the center performing the scan. They will give you an injection of the gallium which will not take long. You will also be given instructions on what to do the night and morning before the scan. This often includes not eating beforehand. They may also have the patient receive an enema before (the scanning center may do this for the patient in some instances).

You will be told to report back to the scan department 2 to 5 days after the injection for the scan. The gallium will have moved throughout the body by then. You will change into a gown and taken to the imaging machine. You will lie on a stretcher or imaging table with the camera positioned above or below you. Multiple images may be taken, or the camera may move slowly, scanning the entire length of your body. A SPECT (photon emission computed tomography) study may be done to look at a particular area of your body in detail. This involves lying on a narrow imaging table while the camera rotates 360 degrees around you.

The gallium has a very short half life (78 hours). It will take a few days to be undetectable in the body (up to 2-3 weeks).

Risks

There is a minimal risk of radiation exposure (less than with X-rays, CT or PET scans). Radiation exposure of any sort is not usually recommended for pregnant or nursing women or for young children unless the benefits of the test exceed the risk.

Similar Tests

MRI, CT, and the newer PET scans may provide similar data on disease when compared to Gallium scans. Some data indicates the PET scan may prove more useful in lymphoma evaluation.

 

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Resources

Yahoo Health - Gallium Scan
DrKoop.com - Adult Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Diagnosis
Gallium Scan information from Harvard
Comparison of Gallium Scan and the PET scan in lymphoma evaluation
Virtual Hospital: A Patient's Guide to Nuclear Medicine
Information on Gallium-67 from Chorus
The Society of Nuclear Medicine

 

Related Articles

For more information on Hodgkin's Lymphoma / Disease, please see the following pages:

Adult Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Diagnosis
Adult Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Treatment
Adult Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Introduction

Childhood Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Diagnosis
Childhood Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Treatment
Childhood Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Introduction

For more information on Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, please see the following pages:

Adult Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Diagnosis
Adult Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Treatment
Adult Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Introduction

Childhood Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Diagnosis
Childhood Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Treatment
Childhood Non-Hodgkin's Information Pages