Your doctor has ordered a kidney scan to evaluate your hypertension (high blood pressure) by assessing the flow of blood to your kidneys. Please follow these simple instructions, so that we may best serve you.
- You may be asked to stop taking certain blood pressure pills for a few days in advance of the exam; otherwise, you may continue your medications as prescribed.
- Please have nothing to eat for 4 hours prior to your appointment time. Please drink plenty of water, so you are well hydrated.
- Report to the Radiology department 15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment to allow time for check-in.
- When you arrive, you will be asked to use the bathroom to empty your bladder.
- You will have two scans. An I.V. will be placed in your arm and you will receive an injection of a radioactive material to help visualize your kidneys. For each scan, you will be positioned laying down on the scanner table and images will be taken for 30 minutes.
- After the first scan, your blood pressure will be checked and you will be given a medication called Captopril to take with water. Captopril is a medication to control your high blood pressure. The temporary side effects that may occur include dizziness, feeling faint, low blood pressure and urinary frequency. Please inform the technologist if you are allergic to Captopril.
- We will wait one hour before starting the second 30-minute scan. Your blood pressure will be checked every 15 minutes after taking Captopril.
- You are able to resume normal activities once you are discharged from our department, but we ask that you continue to hydrate throughout the rest of your day.
