Our Approach To Kidney Ultrasounds
The Johns Hopkins Kidney Program is one of the first in the country and our doctors have pioneered some of the most innovative treatments for patients with renal failure. In addition to offering leading-edge procedures, our program offers shorter wait times and minimally invasive options, which can lead to a faster recovery.
What Do You Wear For A Kidney Ultrasound
Its possible that youll be required to don a gown. Non-scented, hypoallergenic ultrasound gel will be applied to the area to be scanned before the procedure. In order to apply gel and scan the area, your technologist will ask you to lower or arrange your clothing in a way that exposes the problematic area.
How Do I Prepare For A Kidney Ultrasound
The preparation for this test will depend on the type of ultrasound procedure your healthcare provider has ordered. Some things you might need to do to get ready for your ultrasound could include:
- Drinking a quart of water before the test to obtain better images.
- Eating a fat-free dinner the night before the test.
In some cases, you may not need to do anything before your ultrasound. Your healthcare provider will let you know exactly what you need to do before the test. If you have any questions leading up to your ultrasound appointment, call your providers office to learn more about how to prepare.
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Why Have A Kidney Ultrasound
Your doctor may use an ultrasound to look at your kidneys if they think there may be a problem with your kidneys. A kidney ultrasound can show:
- Something abnormal in the size or shape of your kidneys
- Blood flow to your kidneys
- Signs of injury or damage to your kidneys
- Kidney stones, cysts or tumors
Your doctor may also use a kidney ultrasound to:
- Help guide needles during a kidney biopsy
- Check on your transplanted kidney
How Does An Ultrasound Work
Ultrasound images are produced by high-frequency waves that will create an image of the inside of your body.
The reason why an ultrasound does not need any radiation is that it works with sound waves. It is also known as sonography, and it transmits the sound waves to the body and on the monitor, you will see the waves that echo back.
It is a versatile tool that is not invasive and allows you to see in real-time what is going on inside your body. It is mainly used to keep track of your pregnancy, or it can also be used to diagnose pain, swelling, or other symptoms, in about 15 to 45 minutes!
The most common type of ultrasound scan is the abdominal type, which allows your doctor to check the state of your kidneys, gallstones, liver, or stomach. But not only does this type of ultrasound exist.
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Can You Eat Before A Renal Artery Ultrasound
An Ultrasound of Your Renal Artery. During your appointment, your doctor will go over all aspects of your testing. Patients are typically asked to refrain from eating or drinking for 8 hours prior to the ultrasound. The ultrasound technician and physician will be able to see more clearly if they fast before the procedure.
What Are The Benefits Of An Ultrasound
Ultrasound provides excellent imaging of the soft tissues of the body, and is a safe procedure that does not have the risks associated with imaging that uses radiation. There are no proven harmful effects of sound waves at the levels used in ultrasound when carried out in a proper clinical setting, such as a private radiology practice or hospital.
Ultrasound can be used with patient movement, so is ideal for imaging babies and children. Imaging movement is also very valuable in musculoskeletal , gynaecological and vascular ultrasound. Dynamic imaging provided by images using ultrasound sound waves gives the opportunity to look at the inside of the body in positions or with movements where there is pain or movement restriction.
Rarely, a specific ultrasound contrast medium is injected into a vein of the arm to detect certain types of diseases or problems. If the radiologist feels that this will be useful, then this will be explained to you at the time of the examination. Ultrasound is mostly non-invasive, provides accurate imaging tests of the body, is readily available and is relatively inexpensive.
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Why Would A Doctor Order A Renal Ultrasound
When blood or urine tests expose the presence of abnormalities in the renal system, your doctor may recommend a renal ultrasound. In addition to detecting cysts, tumors and stones, ultrasound can: Reveal harmful abscesses, fluid collection, infection within or around the kidneys.
Can I drink alcohol the night before a renal ultrasound?
Beverages: No alcohol, milk or cream are allowed. Water.
Why do you have to hold your breath during a kidney ultrasound?
You may be asked to take a breath and hold it for several seconds during the scanning. This lets the sonographer see organs and structures more clearly because they are not moving.
What Are The Functions Of The Kidneys
Kidneys are bean-shaped organs present in pairs in the lower abdomen.
Functions of the kidneys are-
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Production of urine by filtering the blood.
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Removing extra fluid and waste materials from the body.
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Regulating blood pressure by releasing hormones.
Kidney functions can be impaired by the presence of calculi, cysts or tumors, abscesses, and the presence of infection, which can be detected using ultrasound. Ultrasound is also called sonography or ultrasonography. Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of the internal structures of the body.
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What Should I Expect During A Kidney Ultrasound Procedure
Kidney ultrasounds are performed in both inpatient and outpatient settings. The following steps apply:
- Youll prepare for the procedure by removing your street clothes and any jewelry that youre wearing. A hospital gown will be provided for you to change into.
- You will be positioned on your stomach in the examination area.
- A gel will be applied on the skin where the transducer goes. This substance serves to heighten contact between the transducer and your skin, improving sound wave transmission into the body.
- The transducer emits sound waves into the body. These waves will reflect off the kidney and other internal structures and, on being captured by a computer, will provide the data it needs to create an image of your organs.
- The images created by the ultrasound will go into digital storage, for future reference.
- Multiple images of your bladder, both before and after urination, will be taken. This will assist your physician in interpreting the ultrasound data, because of the close working relationship between the kidneys and bladder.
What Are The Reasons For A Kidney Ultrasound
A kidney ultrasound may be used to assess the size, location, and shapeof the kidneys and related structures, such as the ureters and bladder.Ultrasound can detect cysts, tumors, abscesses, obstructions, fluidcollection, and infection within or around the kidneys.Calculi of the kidneysand ureters may be detected by ultrasound.
A kidney ultrasound may be performed to assist in placement of needlesused tobiopsy the kidneys, to drain fluid from a cyst or abscess, or to place a drainage tube.This procedure may also be used to determine blood flow to the kidneysthrough the renal arteries and veins.
Kidney ultrasound may be used after akidney transplantto evaluate the transplanted kidney.
There may be other reasons for your physician to recommend a kidneyultrasound.
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How Ultrasound Scans Work
A small device called an ultrasound probe is used, which gives off high-frequency sound waves.
You can’t hear these sound waves, but when they bounce off different parts of the body, they create “echoes” that are picked up by the probe and turned into a moving image.
This image is displayed on a monitor while the scan is carried out.
What Are The Risks Of A Kidney Ultrasound
Kidney ultrasounds are essentially risk free. Because they utilize sound waves rather than radiation to produce images, ultrasounds are considered safer to patients and healthcare workers than X-rays. Certain conditions, such as obesity and abdominal gas, may limit the effectiveness of kidney ultrasounds.
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Can You Drink Before A Renal Scan
You usually do not need to stop eating or drinking before the test. You also usually will not need medicine to help you relax . You may be asked to drink several glasses of water before the scan.
What can I drink before a renal ultrasound?
Renal Ultrasound Please drink 32 oz of water one hour prior to the exam. We also request that you do not urinate before the exam.
How long does a kidney ultrasound take?
A probe is then gently applied against your skin. You may be asked to hold your breath several times or roll on your side during the test. Typically, the ultrasound will take about 20 to 30 minutes to complete.
What Happens During A Kidney Ultrasound
A kidney ultrasound may be performed on an outpatient basis or as part ofyour stay in a hospital. Although each facility may have differentprotocols in place, generally an ultrasound procedure follows this process:
You will be asked to remove any clothing, jewelry, or other objects that may interfere with the scan.
If asked to remove clothing, you will be given a gown to wear.
You will lie on an examination table on your stomach.
Ultrasound gel is placed on the area of the body that will undergo the ultrasound examination.
Using a transducer, a device that sends out the ultrasound waves, the ultrasound wave will be sent through that patient’s body.
The sound will be reflected off structures inside the body, and the ultrasound machine will analyze the information from the sound waves.
The ultrasound machine will create images of these structures on a monitor. These images will be stored digitally.
If the bladder is examined, you will be asked to empty your bladder after scans of the full bladder have been completed. Additional scans will be made of the empty bladder.
There are no confirmed adverse biological effects on patients or instrumentoperators caused by exposures to ultrasound at the intensity levels used indiagnostic ultrasound.
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Ceus Image Fusion And Elastography
CEUS can evaluate microvasculature, which color Doppler US is unable to detect. In renal US examination, CEUS can be used to differentiate tumor and pseudotumor, such as prominent columns of Bertin. Pseudotumors enhance as adjacent renal tissue. The use of CEUS is recommended in special cases to distinguish between cystic and hypovascularized solid lesions, to characterize complex cysts, abscesses, traumatic lesions and ischemic lesions . Solid malignant tumors in the kidney do not exhibit specific enhancement patterns like some liver lesions, and no valid enhancement criteria between benign and malignant renal lesions have been proposed . However, CEUS is used in some patients after ablation of renal cell carcinoma to evaluate contrast uptake in the treated area .
Renal cell carcinoma successfully treated with thermal ablation, as no contrast enhancement is seen.
Image fusion of ultrasound with a previously recorded dataset of CT or other modalities is rarely used in renal US. Reports on image fusion using CEUS or US combined with CT or MRI in the examination of renal lesions and in difficult US-guided renal interventions have been published . However, no recommendations have been published so far.
Unspecific cortical lesion on CT is confirmed cystic and benign with contrast-enhanced ultrasound using image fusion.
When Can I Expect The Results Of My Ultrasound
The time it takes for your doctor to receive a written report will vary. The private radiology practice, clinic or hospital where your procedure is carried out will be able to tell you when your doctor is likely to receive the report.
It is important that you discuss the results with your doctor, so they can explain what the results mean for you.
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When Is A Kidney Ultrasound Required
Ultrasound images are used to know-
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The location of the kidneys.
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The size of kidneys – Kidney length in adults, maybe between 10 to 12 cm, but varies with body size.
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The shape of the kidneys.
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Blood flows to the kidneys.
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The urinary space, the vasculature, and the presence of masses.
A nephrologist may recommend a kidney ultrasound when there is a concern about –
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A kidney injury.
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A blockage in the urinary tract.
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Accumulation of urine inside the kidneys – Hydronephrosis.
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Cyst or tumor inside the kidney.
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Kidney stone or renal calculi.
Other reasons include –
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Serve as a guide to inserting a needle for a tissue or fluid kidney biopsy.
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To place a tube into the kidney
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To check for the transplanted kidney.
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To check for the urinary bladder .
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To check if there is fluid collection inside the kidneys.
What To Expect After A Kidney Ultrasound
Youll be able to eat and drink as usual after your ultrasound. Additionally, you can return to your daily activities after you leave the facility.
After the ultrasound, the technician will forward the results to a radiologist. This is a type of doctor that specializes in making sense of medical images, such as those created by ultrasound.
Once the radiologist has reviewed your images, which typically takes only 1 or 2 days, theyll send their findings to your doctor. Your doctor will then contact you to go over the results of your ultrasound.
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Why Would My Doctor Refer Me To Have This Procedure
An ultrasound could be requested for many reasons. You may be most familiar with its use in obstetrics . Ultrasound is ideal to look at the foetus as it grows throughout the stages of pregnancy. In the first part of pregnancy, it can be used for confirming the age of the foetus and the most likely date of birth, and for screening significant genetic syndromes . Later in pregnancy, it is used to carefully examine how the foetus is developing, and to ensure the foetus is growing in a healthy manner. An ultrasound obstetric scan is a wonderful opportunity to meet your developing baby.
There are also many other reasons an ultrasound may be requested. For example, it is used to examine organs in the abdomen and other parts of the body. Colour Doppler ultrasound can be used to watch blood flow in any of the arteries or veins throughout the various parts of your body. High-resolution ultrasound can be used to evaluate the musculoskeletal system . Breast ultrasound is an important part of the assessment of any breast lump. Ultrasound can take high-quality images of most parts of your body, which makes it an excellent diagnostic test.
Is Empty Stomach Required For Lower Abdomen Ultrasound
Ultrasound whole abdomen Patient should come empty stomach in the morning or should be empty stomach for at least last 4 5 hours. Patient should drink ½ 1 litre of water and hold the urine and report when the bladder is full.
What should I eat the night before an abdominal ultrasound?
Fat free broth.
Can I drink water before ultrasound abdomen?
You must not eat or drink for eight hours before your exam. Water and taking medication is okay. If ultrasound pelvis is also being done, for female patients, please drink 32 ounces of water one hour before the scan. You can go to the bathroom to relieve yourself, as long as you keep drinking water.
Can I poop before ultrasound?
Your doctor will usually tell you to fast for 8 to 12 hours before your ultrasound. Thats because undigested food in the stomach and urine in the bladder can block the sound waves, making it difficult for the technician to get a clear picture.
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How Do The Kidneys Work
The body takes nutrients from food and converts them to energy. Afterthe body has taken the food that it needs, waste products are leftbehind in the bowel and in the blood.
The kidneys and urinary system keep chemicals, such as potassium andsodium, and water in balance, and remove a type of waste, called urea,from the blood. Urea is produced when foods containing protein, such asmeat, poultry, and certain vegetables, are broken down in the body.Urea is carried in the bloodstream to the kidneys.
Two kidneys, a pair of purplish-brown organs, are located below theribs toward the middle of the back. Their function is to:
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Remove liquid waste from the blood in the form of urine
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Keep a stable balance of salts and other substances in the blood
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Produce erythropoietin, a hormone that aids the formation of red blood cells
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Regulate blood pressure
The kidneys remove urea from the blood through tiny filtering unitscalled nephrons. Each nephron consists of a ball formed of small bloodcapillaries, called a glomerulus, and a small tube called a renaltubule.
Urea, together with water and other waste substances, forms the urineas it passes through the nephrons and down the renal tubules of thekidney.
How Are Kidney Stones Detected
Kidney and bladder stones are solid substances made from minerals and proteins found in urine. Certain bladder conditions and urinary tract infections can increase the chance of developing stones. Kidney stones can be diagnosed using:
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Potential Risks Of An Ultrasound
Ultrasound isnt hazardous and there are no known harmful side effects. Unlike X-ray tests, ultrasounds do not use radiation.
Overall, the procedure is noninvasive and painless. You might feel uncomfortable lying on the table, and the gel and transducer might feel cold. Additionally, if youve been asked to drink water prior to your ultrasound, you may have some discomfort from having a full bladder.
Its also possible that waiting for your results may cause you some anxiety. To help alleviate this, ask your doctor how long it should take to receive your results. Dont hesitate to contact them if this window passes and you havent heard anything.
Online estimates place the average price of abdominal ultrasound scans at $410.
Through Medicare, the average payment for ultrasound in hospital outpatient departments is $28.
However, keep in mind that this is an average and that costs may be higher or lower depending on factors like:
- whether you have health insurance
- the facility where you have your procedure
Generally speaking, most insurance plans will cover a kidney ultrasound if its considered medically necessary to diagnose or treat a health condition. You may be responsible for paying coinsurance or copay. Be sure to ask your insurance provider whats covered prior to your ultrasound.
Your doctor may recommend a kidney ultrasound if they think you have a kidney problem and they need more information. Your doctor might be concerned about:
- a kidney injury