Multiple-gated acquisition (MUGA) scan

 For young people with cancer, the most common reason for having a MUGA scan is to check that your heart is working normally before you have chemotherapy|. It can also be used as a way of checking for any side effects of treatment by comparing scans done before and after treatment. An alternative test is an echocardiogram|.

What happens?

You can eat and drink normally before a MUGA scan. It’s usually done in the outpatient clinic and takes about an hour in total. There are three main parts to the test:

• an injection 
• an electrocardiogram (ECG) 
• a MUGA scan with a gamma camera.

The injection

If you don’t already have a central line (a Hickman® or Groshong®), then you’ll have a needle put into one of the veins in the back of your hand. A small amount of blood is taken from you and mixed with a radioactive substance. About 30 minutes later this is re-injected into your vein. You then lie on a couch and have the ECG and MUGA scan.

The ECG

You need to undress to the waist and put on a gown that opens at the front. The nurse will then stick about 12 discs onto your chest area. They’ll feel cold when they’re put on. Some wires are then connected to the discs. The wires are linked to a machine that records your heart’s electrical activity.

The MUGA scan

You lie still on the couch while a special camera (called a gamma camera) takes pictures of your chest area from different angles.

Afterwards

You can go home straight afterwards and there are no side effects. The results should be ready a few days later.