A renal scan is a procedure used to look for problems with your kidneys. The kidneys are the organs that filter your blood and keep it clean. They move waste out of your blood and into your urine so it can be removed from your body.
In this procedure, a small amount of radioactive material (tracer) is injected into your blood. The tracer will travel through your bloodstream and reach your kidneys. A scanner with a camera that detects the radioactive tracer is used to examine the kidneys. The tracer makes it easier for your health care provider to see possible problems.
Various types of renal scans may be done to check for specific kinds of problems:
• Renal structural scan. This type is done to check for problems that may change the normal structure of the kidney. These problems include cysts, tumors, abscesses, and certain disorders present at birth (congenital). …show more content…
This type is used to check for problems that affect kidney function, such as inflammation, low blood supply, or renal failure.
• Renal blood flow scan. This type is used to evaluate the blood flow to each kidney. It can help identify narrowing of the arteries that carry blood to the kidneys (renal artery stenosis).
• Renal hypertension scan. This type is used to identify the cause of high blood pressure that results from problems in the renal arteries (renovascular hypertension). It can help identify narrowing or blockages in these arteries.
• Renal obstruction scan. This type is used to identify any obstruction in the area where waste moves out of the kidney and into the urinary tract.
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