Hi there I’m new on this my husband is in the process of being diagnosed it’s tough for us both at the moment as the wait to see anyone has gone into years anyway finally seen consultant who is sure that he has it but wants to do a dat scan and Mri. Our problem is he has a lot of allergies including iodene and contrast dye has anyone been in this situation just wondering if they will be able to do it
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Sorry you’re both going through such a stressful wait. Contrast reactions and multiple allergies can definitely make scans feel more complicated, so it’s important to discuss his previous reactions with the radiology team before the scan. They can advise whether contrast is necessary and what alternatives or precautions may be appropriate.
Hi Bennie, welcome. Sorry the wait has been so long for you both.
It might help to know that the DaT scan doesn’t use the same iodine contrast dye as a CT scan. It uses a small amount of a radioactive tracer, but people are usually given a thyroid-blocking medicine beforehand, which is often iodine based. So that’s the part worth flagging with the nuclear medicine team, as they may be able to use an alternative.
The MRI for Parkinson’s is often done without any contrast at all. When contrast is used for MRI, it’s gadolinium rather than iodine, so it’s a different thing altogether.
Before the appointments, I’d ring both departments and give them his allergy list and any past reactions. They deal with this a lot and can tell you what they’ll need to adjust.