Renal angiography
A renal angiogram is an imaging test to look at the arteries in your kidneys. Your healthcare provider can use it to look at the ballooning of a blood vessel (aneurysm), narrowing of a blood vessel (stenosis), or blockages in a blood vessel. They can also see how well blood is flowing to your kidneys.
For the test, the radiologist injects a contrast dye into the artery that brings blood into the kidney. Then they use X-ray images to watch the dye as it flows through the blood vessels in the kidneys.
X-rays use a small amount of radiation to create images of your bones and internal organs. A renal angiogram is one type of X-ray.
How the Test is Performed:
- Clean and shave the area.
- Apply a numbing medicine to the area.
- Place a needle into the artery.
- Pass a thin wire through the needle into the artery.
- Take out the needle.
- Insert a long, narrow, flexible tube called a catheter in its place.
The doctor directs the catheter into the correct position using x-ray images of the body. An instrument called fluoroscope sends the images to a TV monitor, which the provider can see.
The catheter is pushed ahead over the wire into the aorta (main blood vessel from the heart). It then enters the kidney artery. The test uses a special dye (called contrast) to help the arteries show on the x-ray. The blood vessels of the kidneys are not seen with ordinary x-rays. The dye flows through the catheter into the kidney artery.
X-ray images are taken as the dye moves through the blood vessels. Saline (sterile salt water) containing a blood thinner may also be sent through the catheter to keep blood in the area from clotting.
The catheter is removed after the x-rays are taken. A closure device is placed in the groin or pressure is applied to the area to stop the bleeding.
You may be asked to keep your leg straight for 4 to 6 hours after the procedure.
Risks:
- Bleeding
- Nerve injuries
- Temporary kidney failure
- Blood clots
- Hematoma, swelling due to blood collection
- Any infection
- Damage to an artery or its wall
Accounting for thorough experience and practice, Dr. Aritra Konar is a Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at Apollo Gleneagles Hospital, Kolkata. He has been deemed one of the best cardiologists in Kolkata for his expertise lies in Coronary (femoral & radial routes) angiography, Coronary angioplasty (including primary angioplasty), Peripheral angiography and angioplasty, Permanent pacemaker, ICD, CRT implantation, BMV, BPV, Right heart catheterization and so on, in procedural skills. His guidance is trusted and so are his skills.