Renal Artery Ultrasound

The renal arteries, that supply blood to the kidneys, can be narrowed either by atherosclerosis (cholesterol deposits in the artery wall) or fibromuscular dysplasia (a beaded overgrowth of the normal lining of the artery seen mainly in young people). Narrowing of the renal arteries leads to a reduction in blood supply to the kidney and is a significant and often treatable cause of high blood pressure.

The test uses ultrasound to image the kidneys and part of the abdomen. It is not invasive and does not involve radiation exposure. You will need to lie flat on an examination couch. The examination will take approximately 60 minutes. Our sonographer will apply a water based gel to the skin over the stomach and kidney area applying light to medium pressure to obtain images. The images are displayed on the screen and stored for later analysis. This will be forwarded to your cardiologist who will send a report to you and your doctor with the results and a plan for management.

Please do not eat for 4 hours before your appointment.
You can continue to drink water ONLY as normal.
Where possible please take a ten minute walk prior to your appointment.

Renal aortic ultrasound is available at our rooms in:

• The Heart Group; 1 Gilgit Rd, Epsom

For further information please phone The Heart Group 623 6377

Please allow plenty of time for parking.

We do our best to keep to scheduled appointment times. Please arrive on time for your appointment or your appointment may have to be rescheduled.