Factsheets

An allergy is when the immune system reacts to something that is usually harmless. Allergy tests are done to figure out what your child is allergic to and how…

Ambulatory Blood Pressure (ABP) monitoring is a way to record your child's blood pressure over 24 hours.

Aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the aortic valve, which makes the heart work harder.

Barium tests (swallow, meal, and enema) are X-ray scans used to show the inside of your child’s digestive system.

Venepuncture is a way of taking blood for a blood test.

A Bone Mineral Density (BMD) Scan measures the amount of mineral in your bones.

A bone scan checks for signs of healing, damage and blood supply in the bone.

Cardiac catheterisation is a procedure used to get detailed information about the heart.

An event monitor is a device that lets your child record their heart's electrical activity at different times.

Catheterisation and supra-pubic urine aspiration are two ways to collect a urine sample from babies and children.

A Cerebral perfusion scan shows how well blood flows through your child's brain.

A colon transit study looks at the shape of the large intestine and how quickly food moves through it.

A colonoscopy is a procedure used to see the inside of the large intestine or bowel.

A Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) shunt patency study checks whether a brain shunt is working properly.

Computerised tomography (CT) scans are used to see the inside of the body in detail.

A cuffed tunnelled central venous catheter (CVC) is a soft tube inserted into a large vein close to the heart. It is used to give medications and fluids over a…

The DMSA kidney scan uses radioactive medicine to check the kidneys for different conditions or damage.

An echocardiogram is a scan that uses sound waves to show how blood flows through the heart.

An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a test that records electrical activity in the heart.

An exercise test shows how well your child's heart handles physical activity.

A fetal echocardiogram is a scan that uses sound waves to create pictures of an unborn baby's heart.

A gastric emptying study looks at the movement of food or liquid from the stomach to the small intestine.

A gastrostomy is a procedure to make opening in the stomach that will attach to a tube.

The general movements assessment checks babies from birth to four months for early signs of motor delay and neurological issues, like cerebral palsy.

The Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) study checks how well your child’s kidneys are working. It measures how much blood the kidneys filter every minute.

A hepatobiliary scan checks how well your child’s liver and gallbladder are working.

A Holter monitor records the electrical activity in your child's heart over 24 – 48 hours.

An Iodine-123 whole-body scan checks for thyroid cancer, treatment needs, and therapy progress by detecting active or spreading thyroid tissue.

An intravenous pyelogram (IVP) is a scan used to check how the urinary system is working.

A lumbar puncture, or spinal tap, is a test where a doctor uses a needle to collect a small sample of fluid from your child’s lower back.

A lung perfusion scan checks how well the blood flows around your child’s lungs.

A lung ventilation and perfusion scan checks how well air and blood flow around your child’s lungs.

A MAG3 renal scan is a test that checks how well your child’s kidneys are working.

Mantoux skin test is a test used to see if your child has been infected with the bacilli germs that cause tuberculosis.

The Meckel scan checks for a small bulge or pouch called a Meckel’s diverticulum in the intestine.

An MIBG scan looks for tumours that develop in the nervous system. These can include neuroblastomas, pheochromocytomas, and paragangliomas.

A micturating cystourethrogram (MCUG) is a type of X-ray scan that checks how a child’s bladder and urinary system are working using contrast dye.

A milk scan checks if milk or liquids flow back up from your child’s stomach after eating. Learn more about what happens before, during and after the scan.

Magnetic Resonance Enterography (MRE) is a type of MRI scan that uses contrast to check for Crohn’s disease and bowel problems in children.

A Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan uses powerful magnets and sound waves to take detailed pictures inside the body.

An Oesophageal Transit Study checks how well food and liquids move from the mouth to the stomach.

A peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) scan measures the size, shape and amount of bone mineral in your arm and leg bones.

A red blood cell (RBC) bleed scan checks for bleeding inside your child’s tummy or digestive system.

A sweat test is when a small amount of sweat from the skin is tested to see if your child has cystic fibrosis.

A thyroid scan checks the size, shape, location, and function of your child’s thyroid gland.

An upper endoscopy is a procedure that looks at the top half of the digestive system, also known as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

A white blood cell (WBC) scan checks for infection or inflammation inside your child’s body by tracking where white blood cells go.