OPS-Code 3-709.0x:

You had a gamma scan of your lymph vessels and lymph nodes.

Fluid forms in tissue throughout the body every day. This tissue fluid is the lymph. The lymph is carried around the body by lymph vessels. The lymph vessels run around the entire body and are connected to blood vessels. At some points, there are lymph nodes along the lymph vessels. Pathogens are rendered harmless in the lymph nodes, for example.

A gamma scan is an examination in which a radioactive substance is used to make tissues and processes in the body visible. The radioactive substance used to examine lymph vessels and lymph nodes is injected into the skin or tissue. From there, it flows through lymph vessels with the lymphatic fluid and reaches the lymph nodes. A camera records the distribution of the radioactive substance throughout the body as an image. The image shows the lymph vessels and lymph nodes through which the lymphatic fluid from the tissues examined flows.

A gamma scan of lymph vessels and lymph nodes is used in the case of a tumor, for example. This enables identification of the lymph nodes that are located close to a tumor. A tumor refers to the growth of new tissue in the body.The tissue in the body is made up of cells. A tumor disorder involves the cells multiplying more than normal. This results in abnormal or excess tissue forming. A tumor can be benign or malignant.