How many days does a thyroid uptake scan take?

Depends on agent: If using radioiodine, typically the tracer is given on day 1, then an uptake obtained at 4 and 24 hours later. If using pertechnetate, the uptake is done on the same day, and the scan and uptake together take about an hour or so.

24 hours: Typically the dose is given by pill the first day and then a scan is done over the thyroid the following day. The amount of radioactivity remaining in your thyroid tells us if your thyroid function is normal, below normal or greater than normal. The scan can show if there are nodules on the thyroid.

1 or 2: The amount of days varies depending on the radiotracer used for the study; when using tc-99m the study is only 1 day and when using i-123 or i-131 most often is 2 days as the scan is obtained at 24 hours after taking the dose. Some centers may get early images at 4 hours as well for the iodine scans.

One or two days: The thyroid scan can be performed either with iodine 123 or iodine 131. The scan itself is very rapid ( approximately 10 minutes). According to the type of radioiodine used, it is faster ( same day) with 123iodine or we need to wait 24 hours in the case of 131 iodine. Usually the thyroid uptake is performed with 131 iodine and the thyroid scan is performed with 99mtc-pertechnetate