Attention, chocolate lovers: You may not be able to help yourselves. Swiss and British scientists have linked the widespread love of chocolate to a chemical "signature" that may be programmed into our metabolic systems.
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Liver Scan - Liver-Spleen Scan
Overview & Description
A liver-spleen scan is an imaging test used to examine the liver and/or spleen. The liver and spleen are both organs inside the abdomen that have different functions. A radioactive material injected into a person's veins allows these organs to be imaged with a special x-ray camera.
Who is a candidate for the test?
There are many potential reasons a healthcare provider may want someone to have a liver-spleen scan. These reasons may include:
How is the test performed?
The person having a liver-spleen scan is usually asked to change into a hospital-type gown. An intravenous line, or IV, will be inserted into a vein, usually in the wrist or forearm. Once the IV is inserted, a radioactive material is injected through the IV into the person's vein. Several minutes after the material is inside the bloodstream, it gets taken up by the liver and spleen.
Roughly 15 minutes after the injection of the radioactive material, the person is asked to lie on an x-ray table. A special camera rotates around the person and takes pictures of the liver and spleen. The camera works by detecting the radioactive material inside the body. The test is painless. It takes about 30 minutes for all of the pictures to be taken.