Renal Arteriography

Renal Arteriography

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Renal arteriography, also known as renal angiography, gives your doctors a way to see the blood vessels in your kidneys.

Your blood vessels don’t show up on an X-ray. This can make it difficult for your doctors to get an accurate image of them. In an arteriography, doctors inject a special kind of dye into your blood vessels. This dye, also called contrast material, shows up on the X-ray.

This procedure allows doctors to see your veins. They will be able to see blockages, clots, narrowing, and other problems.

Arteriographies can be done on many parts of the body. The term “renal” refers to your kidneys, so a renal arteriography is one that highlights your kidney’s blood vessels.

When Is a Renal Arteriography Used?

Your doctor will typically perform this procedure if you have problems with the blood vessels in your kidneys. Possible problems include:

blood clots
blockages
abnormal structural issues
spasms in the vessels
tumors
high blood pressure in the vessels
widened blood vessels

If you have kidney disease or kidney failure, your doctor may perform this procedure to help monitor your condition. They may also use this test to assess the extent of these conditions.

What Are the Risks of a Renal Arteriography?

This is a fairly safe procedure. Serious complications are rare. There’s a possibility that you’ll experience an allergic reaction to the contrast material used in this procedure, but they’re rare.

There’s small chance you’ll have other complications such as:

infections
blood clots
nerve injury
damage to an artery

Most doctors believe that the radiation levels involved in the test are safe. The radiation may be more of a risk for a developing fetus. Make sure to tell your doctor if you’re pregnant.