What is a renal scan and when is it needed?
A renal scan is a type of nuclear medicine imaging test that measures how well the kidneys are functioning.
Indications:
- Renal perfusion and function
- Renal trauma
- Renal hypertension
- Obstruction
- Kidney transplants
- Hydro nephrosis
- Flank pain
- Look for cysts, lesions, tumors or abscesses
What are the risks?
Please let the office know if you are pregnant and/or breastfeeding, as the radiotracers maybe harmful to a fetus.
The risk to other people is very low, so these scans are considered safe and effective ways to diagnose disease.
How do you prepare for a kidney scan?
- Well hydrated
- Wear comfortable clothing
- No restrictions
How does a renal scan work?
There are four different types of renal scans your doctor can use to diagnose renal issues: Renal without Lasix, Renal with Lasix, Renal Captopril, and Renal DMSA
Renal without Lasix - 1 hour
Renal perfusion measures the blood flow through your kidneys
A nuclear medicine technologist starts an IV in your arm. A small amount of radioactive material is injected into the IV. Once the radiotracer is injected, a special camera is used to take images of your kidneys, images take 30-minutes
Renal with Lasix - 1 hour
Diuretic renal scintigraphy is used when you have problems with urine flow and checks for blockages inside your kidneys.
A nuclear medicine technologist starts an IV in your arm. A small amount of radioactive material is injected into the IV. Once the radiotracer is injected, a special camera is used to take images of your kidneys, about 10-minutes into the images, 40mg of Lasix is given, images take 30 minutes
Renal with Captopril - 1 hour 1st set of images, take captopril wait 1 hour, 1 hour for 2nd set of images
ACE inhibitor renal scintigraphy looks for narrowing in the arteries inside your kidneys, which is a cause of high blood pressure.
The patient will need to bring 25-mg captopril pill with them, they will get this pill from the ordering doctor
The patient must stop all ACE inhibitors for 1 week prior to the exam
A nuclear medicine technologist starts an IV in your arm. A small amount of radioactive material is injected into the IV. Once the radiotracer is injected, a special camera is used to take images of your kidneys, images take 30-minutes. Once the first set of images are complete, you will take the captopril pill, wait 1-hour and we will do another renal scan which takes 30 minutes.
Renal with DMSA - Injection 15 minutes, wait 2 hours for images which will take 1 hour
Renal cortical scintigraphy examines the outer parts of your kidneys to see how well the tissue is functioning.
A nuclear medicine technologist starts an IV in your arm. A small amount of radioactive material is injected into the IV. Once the radiotracer is injected, you will wait 2 hours before a special camera is used to take images of your kidneys. Those images will take about 1 hour. You may leave in-between the injection and scan
What should I expect after my renal scan?
It usually take 24-48 hours for your doctor to receive a report. Drink plenty of fluids to help flush the radiotracer out of your body, what does not get flushed out of your body will decay out. There are no other restrictions.