What is the thyroid gland?
The thyroid is a gland that makes and stores essential hormones that help regulate the heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and the rate of chemical reactions (metabolism) in the body. It is located in the anterior neck just below the Adams apple. 
The thyroid gland is the, is the main part of the body that takes up iodine. In a thyroid scan, iodine is labeled with a radioactive tracer, and a special camera is used to measure how much tracer is absorbed from the bloodstream by the thyroid gland. If a patient is allergic to iodine, technetium can be used as an alternative.
How is the thyroid scan performed?
A thyroid scan is an outpatient procedure usually done in the nuclear medicine section of a hospital. This is usually part of the radiology department.If you have a thyroid scan, you will be asked to take a drink, or swallow a pill containing the iodine. You will then wait for the iodine to be taken up by the thyroid - usually about 4 hours. At this time you lie under a scintography camera, and it will take pictures which correlate directly to the amount of iodine taken up by the thyroid. This is done by counting the intensity and location of the gamma rays emitted by the radioactively labeled iodine. You then leave the hospital, and return in 24 hours to have a second scan performed in the same manner.
There are no limitations during this 24 hour interval except that you will be asked to take precautions when you urinate. This is because the radioactive iodine is removed from your body by the urine, and it is safer to have others avoid contact with your urine during this time. Be sure to let the doctor performing the test know if you have a iodine allergy, or if you have ingested a lot of iodine-containing foods (like sushi) prior to the test.
