An abdominal examination is of the Renal Arteries determine the presence or absence of renal artery stenosis and its severity.

Indications:

• New onset hypertension

• Evaluation of native renal arteries for evidence of renal artery disease
• Monitoring of renal artery stenosis
• Renal artery angioplasty and/or stent placement

Risk factors:

• Atherosclerosis- hardening of the arteries
• Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD)- overgrowth of tissue inside the artery, a condition usually found in young women between the ages of 20 and

What is involved?

You will lie down on an examination table. The technician will place a clear gel on your abdomen. The technologist will then presses the transducer (a small wand) against the skin and sweeps it back and forth over the abdomen and an image of the artery is shown on a video screen. The renal arteries are identified and a measurement will be made of the speed of blood flow through each artery. The test will take approximately 30 minutes