White Blood Cell Scan
Nuclear Medicine
White Blood Cell Scan
A nuclear imaging scan using your own white blood cells can help your physician detect white blood cell activity and diagnose infections in the body.
Patient Testimonials
VP staff
“The staff were all very friendly and helpful. I live in Idaho, and I come in purposely to use your facility for any imaging needs.””
JT
“My technician, JT, was extremely thoughtful and through. He was very detailed in explaining the procedure…”
Steven, Kyle
“My daughter was scared… they did an amazing job explaining everything to her… two people who took the time to really put my 8-year-old daughter’s mind at ease.”
Amy
“She even provided me with deodorant wipes when I forget to bring deodorant with me to apply after the exam.”
Hartlee and Paula
“Hartlee and Paula were awesome. Both explained thoroughly what they were going to do during the exam.”
Kristin
“Superior technician. Kristin was very nice, knowledgeable, and explained everything thoroughly.”
Frequently Asked Questions
In this procedure, a technologist will first draw blood from your vein. A nuclear medicine pharmacist will remove the white blood cells from the blood and attach a small amount of radioactive material to them in a process called labeling. This process can take three (3) to four (4) hours.
After your white blood cells have been labeled, the radioactive blood will be injected back into your vein. The treated white blood cells will gather at the site of infection. You will return to our facility 24 hours after your injection for imaging. The pictures will take up to 90 minutes.
The white blood cell scan is a two-day procedure. On the first day, blood is drawn and your white blood cells are labeled with radioactive material, which takes 3-4 hours. You’ll then return 24 hours later for imaging, which takes up to 90 minutes.
A nuclear medicine pharmacist must carefully separate your white blood cells from your blood sample and attach radioactive material to them in a sterile laboratory process. This precise work ensures accurate results and takes 3-4 hours to complete safely.
Your blood remains in our facility under controlled laboratory conditions. The white blood cells are separated, labeled with a small amount of radioactive material, and then prepared for reinjection into your body.
White blood cell scans are particularly effective at detecting bone infections (osteomyelitis), abdominal infections, abscesses, post-surgical infections, and other hidden infections that are difficult to locate with other imaging methods.