The SAP scan (AL amyloidosis) Infosheet

This Infosheet explains what a SAP scan is, how it works, and why it is used in AL amyloidosis.

This Infosheet covers key questions and topics about SAP scans in AL amyloidosis, including:

• What is SAP?
• How does the SAP scan work?
• What happens during the SAP scan?
• Is the SAP scan safe?
• Why is the SAP scan used?

Key points you can read about in this Infosheet include: 

• SAP is a protein that is naturally present in everyone, but it is present in large amounts on amyloid deposits
• The SAP scan is used to show where amyloid deposits are present in the body
• A small amount of SAP (from healthy blood donors) is tagged with a radioactive tracer, and injected
• The tagged SAP binds to amyloid deposits, and shows where they are located
• Repeat SAP scans can show how the amount of amyloid changes over time
• The dose of radioactivity used is low, and the procedure is painless and straightforward
• The scan cannot detect amyloid in all organs, but it does reduce the need for biopsies
• SAP scans are done at the National Amyloidosis Centre in London
• You will normally have a SAP scan at the time of diagnosis, and every 6 to 12 months afterwards

AL amyloidosis SAP scan Infosheet

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