Thyroid Scan

Radioactive Thyroid Scan, Technetium Scan of the Thyroid

Why It Is Done

A thyroid scan is done to:

• See whether thyroid nodules are present.
• Find the cause of an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism).
• See whether thyroid cancer has spread outside the thyroid gland. A whole-body thyroid scan will usually be done for this evaluation.

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Author:	Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS	Last Updated: August 14, 2008
Medical Review:	Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Matthew I. Kim, MD - Endocrinology & Metabolism
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