Cholescintigraphy

Programs that utilize cholescintigraphy, a noninvasive nuclear imaging technique, to detect obstruction of the bile ducts (for example, by a gallstone or a tumor), disease of the gallbladder, and bile leaks. A radioactive chemical is injected into the patient, removed from the blood by the liver, secreted into the bile which is produced by the liver and then dispersed to the bile ducts, the gallbladder, and the intestine. A camera that senses radioactivity can then be used to take a picture of the liver, bile ducts and gallbladder. If the chemical fails to enter the gallbladder, a gallstone may be obstructing the cystic duct, indicating acute cholecystitis.