HomeAnswersRadiodiagnosisinflammatory bowel diseaseWill my bowel infection be detectable by a nuclear scan?

Can a nuclear scan detect bowel infection?

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The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.

Answered by

Dr. Vivek Chail

Medically reviewed by

iCliniq medical review team

Published At October 28, 2015
Reviewed AtJune 28, 2023

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

I am a 70 year old female. My height is 5'5" and weight is 155 lbs. My current medications are Quinapril-HCTZ 20-25 mg and Diltiazem 24HR ER 120 mg. I am experiencing discomfort in the right buttock for the past one year. I had a total body nuclear scan done recently and the narrative is attached. I am being sent for a computed tomography (CT) scan. My doubts are, I got a total hip replacement in 2008. Would it be helpful to the CT scan radiologist to see theattached x-rayof the prosthesis since it shows a screw going into soft tissue? As this screw incidentally has been in the same position since 2008 and it has not caused any problem. Would it be helpful to the CT scan radiologist to see the narration of the nuclear scan? Is the CT scan capable of showing a possible bursitis inflammation?

Answered by Dr. Vivek Chail

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com. I have read through your query and reports (attachment removed to protect patient identity) in detail. Please find my observations below. Thex-ray is always usefulwhen reporting a computed tomography (CT) scan. It provides a two-dimensional picture of the screw which is seen to be partly in the region of soft tissues. As a radiologist, I will always be happy to see an x-ray if available. The nuclear scan shows that there is no infection around the prosthesis. There is a small amount of suspected infection in the bowel or fallopian tube on the right side of the pelvis. This might help the radiologist to specifically look for bowel infection or fallopian tube pathology on the right side of the pelvis. The narration is beneficial to the radiologist to have a detailed look through your CT scan pelvis. CT scan will show bursitis if it is severe. Recent studies have shown an magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to be the investigation of choice for inflammatory bursitis. In your case, bursitis is less likely because the nuclear scan does not show any abnormality in the region.

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

Thank you for replying. If the radiologist says "inflammation" does this rule out infection with bacteria? As a matter of information only, the computed tomography (CT) scan I subsequently got done is attached. The hospital did not let me show the x-ray, as all information had to come from a doctor's office to the radiologist.

Answered by Dr. Vivek Chail

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com. Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are the two principal forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and many less common conditions are also there. Research has shown the role of intestinal bacteria as one of the causative factors in inflammatory bowel disease. Please note that acute bowel infection due to bacteria is a different condition but both the conditions might exist at the same time.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Vivek Chail
Dr. Vivek Chail

General Practitioner

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