Renal angiography is a diagnostic procedure designed to study vascular structures. The procedure is also called renal arteriography. In this procedure, doctors use X-rays and a contrast dye to visualize the blood vessels in and around the kidneys of a person. By injecting contrast material directly into the renal arteries, doctors can assess blood flow, identify abnormalities, and plan interventions. The technique helps to diagnose kidney disorders and provide treatments. The procedure involves using a slender, flexible tube called a catheter. The catheter is inserted into the blood vessels through a small incision, and the entire process is carried out by an interventional radiologist.

Why is Renal Angiography Performed?

Doctors often suggest diagnostic tests to patients to detect kidney-related issues, including vascular issues. Here are some indications for kidney angiography, which include:

Diagnosing Renal Artery Stenosis: When a person’s body experiences narrowing of the renal arteries caused by atherosclerosis or fibromuscular dysplasia, which leads to high blood pressure is a big indication that the person needs to undergo kidney angiography.
Evaluating Tumor or Masses: Angiography is done to know the difference between benign and malignant development based on their blood flow patterns.
Investigating Unexplained Hypertension: Especially in younger patients, where secondary causes like renal vascular abnormalities are suspected.
Detecting Aneurysms or Vascular Malformation: To study balloon-like bulges or abnormal connections in the blood vessels.
Pre-Surgical Planning: To assess the vascular anatomy before procedures like kidney transplant or tumor resection.

Renal Angiography Risks

The following are risks of this diagnostic process:

Bruises around the insertion site
Artery damage
Infection
Allergic Reactions
Kidney malfunction

Procedure of Renal Angiography Treatment

Before Procedure

Before the procedure, a patient needs to follow some instructions and tell the doctors about your condition. These instructions are:

Do not eat or drink for a few hours of the procedure:
Inform your doctor about your allergic conditions.
If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, inform about this as well
Pre-existing diseases.
Having any medications
Tell the doctor about vitamins and supplements.

During the Procedure

First of all, a patient need to wear a hospital gown, then need to lie on hospital table prior to the procedure. Once the patient is comfortable lie upon the table, the nurses will give him certain medications and fluids through IV arms or hands veins.
After that certain gel will be applied to the skin site where a doctor needs to make incisions to numb the site. Then the operating surgeon starts making incisions and puts a catheter with the help of a few medical equipment.
Once all is set, the X-dye is injected into the body and then inside the blood vessels of the kidney. The radiologist will use X-ray images as a guide throughout the procedure. Then they move the catheter through blood vessels to the kidneys.
A can’t move while the doctors are taking X-ray images. For not moving a patient, can take the assistance of pillow and foam pads this may help the patient to keep in a certain movement. During this session, a doctor may ask the patient to hold the breath for 10 to 25 seconds.
Once the procedure is done, the catheter is removed from the body, and incisions are closed.

After Procedure

The patient need to lie flat and keep the leg with the insertion site straight for at least 6 hours to stop bleeding and risk of infection.
A patient needs to stay at the hospital overnight to recover or heal sooner.
Nurses will tell the patient to drink an adequate amount of water. So the body could be easily flush out of the X-ray dye.
After getting discharge from hospital, carefully take care of incisions at home and follow certain guidelines that are given by the healthcare provider.