Answer to Question #12669 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Nuclear Medicine Patient Issues — Diagnostic Nuclear Medicine

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

Q

I had a hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scan performed a few weeks ago. I was breast-feeding at the time and told to pump and dump my breast milk for 24 hours after my HIDA scan. I was given a dose of 237 megabecquerels (MBq). When I look online, I find that the typical dose is only 185 MBq for an adult and that is comparable to about one-third of the radiation for an abdominal computed tomography scan (3 mSv).

My question is, how much radiation was I exposed to and did I wait long enough to nurse my baby? Should I be concerned about exposing baby to too much radiation? The website on the imaging center said that nuclear medicine tests only expose you to the amount of radiation of an x ray so now I am confused and stressed. Any answers would be appreciated!

A

You did receive good advice and did not expose your baby to too much radiation.

A HIDA scan, which is also sometimes called a cholescintigraphy or hepatobiliary scintigraphy, is a type of nuclear imaging test that is done to view the bile ducts, gallbladder, and liver.

The advice that you were given is even more conservative than what I found regarding breast-feeding stopping times after a HIDA scan. The following information is on the National Institutes of Health website about breast-feeding after a HIDA scan:

"No information is available on the use of technetium (Tc-99m) mebrofenin during breastfeeding. However, based on the drug's rapid clearance from the bloodstream and recommendations for similar Tc-99m products, breastfeeding need not be interrupted after administration of Tc-99m to a nursing mother.

"However, to follow the principle of keeping patient exposure 'as low as reasonably achievable,' some experts recommend nursing the infant just before administration of the radiopharmaceutical and interrupting breastfeeding for 6 to 12 hours after the dose, then expressing the milk completely once and discarding it. If the mother has expressed and saved milk prior to the examination, she can feed it to the infant during the period of nursing interruption. Mothers need not refrain from close contact with their infants after usual clinical doses."

Regarding your dose from your HIDA exam, an estimate of the dose from 237 MBq is 4 mSv in contrast with a 185 MBq administration resulting in 3.2 mSv. Only the doctor can answer the question as to the administered dose. 

I hope this information relieves your stress. Your actions caused no harm to your baby and your doctor received valuable information as a result of your exam.

Marcia Hartman, MS

Ask the Experts is posting answers using only SI (the International System of Units) in accordance with international practice. To convert these to traditional units we have prepared a conversion table. You can also view a diagram to help put the radiation information presented in this question and answer in perspective. Explanations of radiation terms can be found here.
Answer posted on 15 November 2018. The information posted on this web page is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may affect the applicability of concepts, materials, and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice. To the best of our knowledge, answers are correct at the time they are posted. Be advised that over time, requirements could change, new data could be made available, and Internet links could change, affecting the correctness of the answers. Answers are the professional opinions of the expert responding to each question; they do not necessarily represent the position of the Health Physics Society.