Hepatobiliary (HIDA) Scan

Overview

A hepatobiliary (HIDA) scan is an imaging procedure used to diagnose problems of the gallbladder, liver and bile ducts.

During a HIDA scan, a radioactive tracer is injected into a vein in your arm. It travels through your bloodstream to the liver, where the bile-producing cells take it up, then travels with the bile into the gallbladder and through the bile ducts to your small intestine.

A nuclear medicine scanner tracks the flow into the gallbladder and small intestine from your liver, and creates computer images.