Nuclear Kidney Scan

This special procedure (also known as a renogram or kidney scan) measures how well your kidneys produce urine and whether this urine can freely drain into the bladder.  The scan is particularly useful when evaluating the following:

• Results of some kidney surgeries
• The existence of kidney blockages
• Impact of chronic conditions (such as high blood pressure) on kidney function

During the scan, a small amount of radioactive material is injected into your bloodstream and over the next 30-60 minutes, the kidneys are scanned repeatedly to track the flow of the contrast material. The images reveal how well the kidneys filter out blood wastes and how well the kidneys drain.  Scott D. Miller, MD usually obtains nuclear scans for the following reasons:

• To evaluate for the existence of kidney blockages which might require surgical correction (kidney reconstruction, ureteral reconstruction)
• To assess the success of kidney or ureteral reconstruction at several intervals following surgery to measure kidney function prior to some kidney surgeries when the decreased function is suspected