A kidney or renal ultrasound is a diagnostic test that helps your healthcare providers to see how your kidneys function along with your bladder. It is a quick, pain-free, and noninvasive medical diagnostic procedure. Healthcare providers ask for a kidney ultrasound if there are any abnormal kidney functions or if they suspect the signs and symptoms of renal disease.

This article helps you learn about the details of kidney scans.

Kidney Ultrasound – What is it?

A kidney ultrasound uses sound waves that are not harmful but provide the best imaging results. It is also known as renal scan or ultrasound, as renal refers to kidneys. A transducer is used to send sound waves through your skin. These waves bounce back off dense objects, like organs, and produce images on computer screens. 

How is a Kidney Ultrasound Beneficial?

By performing ultrasound, it helps to evaluate:

• Blood flow to the kidneys
• The size of the Kidneys
• The location of Kidneys
• The shape of the kidneys

If you are having pain in the kidney area, you should go for an ultrasound. It allows a healthcare provider to see what is causing the pain or other symptoms.

Kidney stones and an injury can cause pain from mild to moderate. When you experience such pain, a healthcare provider ensures by performing a renal scan. 

Not only kidneys, but a kidney ultrasound also helps to evaluate the bladder. 

This scan also helps to see the other organs, such as

• Heart
• Liver
• Gallbladder
• Liver 
• Female reproductive organs

If there is a blockage in your blood vessels, a renal scan can help to determine.

What are the Preparations for a Kidney Ultrasound

A healthcare provider suggests a renal scan, and you should discuss its preparation and what you can expect during this scan. Sometimes, a patient needs to drink plenty of water before an exam. Some tests must get clear images during sonography. You also need to avoid a fat dinner the night before the test. For some specific tests, you may need to fast for a few hours before the scan. In some cases, there is no need to do any preparations before the test. 

What to Expect During Kidney Ultrasound?

It is a quick and pain-free method that a radiologist can easily perform. Make sure you wear no jewelry when going clinic for an ultrasound. You may need to wear a medical gown as it makes it easy to perform a scan. Once you lie down on an exam table, a professional will apply a gel on the kidney area and use a transducer. Moving the transducer in the back and forth direction helps to get the real-time images or video produced by sound waves. 

You may be asked to hold your breath or roll on a specific side. These waves produce images on the computer screen when bounce back from the organs or dense objects.

What are the Risk Factors of Renal Ultrasound?

There are no known risk factors that can cause harmful effects during or after an ultrasound, according to NCBI. Because, unlike other diagnostic procedures like X-rays, it does not involve any kind of radiation. If your healthcare provider asks you to fill your bladder to create pressure on organs to get clear images, it may cause a little discomfort. Once your ultrasound is done, you can empty your bladder immediately.

Why Do You Need a Kidney Ultrasound?

If someone in your family has had a renal disease or condition or has a kidney stone history, you should get a regular checkup. People with pain in their kidneys should not avoid it and go for a kidney scan as soon as possible. Early treatment is less painful and gives more positive results.

Your healthcare provider asks for a kidney ultrasound if you experience signs or symptoms that refer to the following concerns:

• Kidney cysts
• Kidney abscess
• Blockage in the urinary tract
• Kidney Infection
• Kidney stone
• The buildup of urine in the kidneys

Your doctor may consider a renal scan for other medical procedures, such as locating the needle, transplanting the kidney, drainage tube into your kidney, and getting tissues of the kidney for biopsy. 

Final Thought

A kidney ultrasound is the best way to diagnose the suspected renal condition or disease. It does not have any side effects and also helps in other diagnostic procedures like biopsy. A surgeon may need this scan for kidney transplantation. It is a pain-free method that takes only 20 minutes to perform. Make sure you wear loose clothes as it will help the technician to perform a scan. You may need other tests if the results are positive, such as urine samples, etc. If you experience kidney pain or any other symptoms, discuss them with your doctor. RIZ Ultrasound is the best private ultrasound clinic in Glasgow, you can contact us anytime to get our help.