What is the stenosis of the renal artery?

Renal artery stenosis is a narrowing of arteries that supply blood from the heart to the kidneys. When the kidney arteries decrease the diameter, blood flow to the kidneys is limited. If both renal arteries are affected, the kidney function may be disturbed, which eventually leads to kidney failure. High blood pressure is a common result of renal artery stenosis that affects only one of the arteries. This is similar to what can happen to articles in the heart. Advanced age, cigarette smoking and diabetes are risk factors that increase the chance of atherosclerosis. Patients with high cholesterol and high blood pressure are also exposed to blood vessel problems with a higher risk of blood vessels. In general, there are no specific symptoms associated with the stenosis of the renal artery. Severe high blood pressure starting before age 30 years or after 50 years Anere reaches well to typical blood pressure drugs that may be suspicious. Renal artery stenosis often occurs randomly through other tests when the doctor finds out thatOne of the patient's kidneys is less than the other.

If a physician suspects renal artery stenosis, performs imaging tests, functional tests or a combination of these two to confirm the diagnosis. The imaging tests show the artery itself so that the doctor can determine whether it has narrowed and, if so, to what extent. Functional tests help determine whether the narrowing of the arteries is sufficient to cause kidney damage or high blood pressure.

The most accurate imaging test is an angiogram, but is not commonly used due to the risk of complications from the invasive procedure. The angiogram includes a catheter inserted with a groin in the heart and down to the renal arteries. The IS dye then injected and X -rays are taken to analyze the degree of narrowing of the arteries. Magnetic resonant angiography (MRA) or computer tomographic angiographic tests are less invasive. It is performed by injection of the dye to the body and then analyzing images of renal arteriesto see if the narrowing is present.

Functional tests

include the Captopril Renogram and Renin Activity Test. Captopril renogram measures kidney activity after injection of radioactive substance. If the activity is more pronounced in one kidney, this may indicate that the function of the other is disturbed due to the stenosis of the renal artery. Renin activity test analyzes whether one kidney shows higher activity of hormonal renin than the other kidney, as higher renin activity generally suggests that the stenosis of the renal artery is present.

In mild cases, no treatment may be required, and the doctor may decide to simply monitor the patient's blood pressure and Idney's manageries regularly. High blood pressure caused by the stenosis of the renal artery is usually treated with the same blood pressure drugs as any other patient. In cases where more than 75%of the kidney artery or arteries have narrowed more than 75%, surgery may be required to expand the blood vessel.