Renal Scan
Evaluating Kidney Function and Performance
A Nuclear Medicine renal scan can help your physician evaluate how well your kidneys are working by providing real-time functional information about kidney performance, including blood flow, filtration rates, and how efficiently each kidney is processing and draining urine.
Patient Testimonials
Hartlee and Paula
“Hartlee and Paula were awesome. Both explained thoroughly what they were going to do during the exam.”
Dr Petersen, Hartlee
“They made me so comfortable and took my sarcasm (humor) really good. I thought his assistant was 13… but was the sweetest girl.”
Elisabeth
“Beth was very knowledgeable and had a very calm demeanor about her that was very reassuring— great customer service.”
Emma
“Please pass on to all that my technician Emma was wonderful. She explained everything step by step. She was gentle and very thorough. Excellent patient care.”
Steven, Kyle
“My daughter was scared… they did an amazing job explaining everything to her… two people who took the time to really put my 8-year-old daughter’s mind at ease.”
Makayla P., Brooke H., Riley H.
“The receptionist was friendly and extremely helpful, and the clinicians were kind and sensitive.”
Frequently Asked Questions
After injecting a small amount of radioactive material into your vein, your technologist will take pictures for a period of 45 minutes.
During the procedure you may be injected with a diuretic called Lasix which helps your kidney’s work faster. This medication could cause some side effects, including frequent urination, dizziness, hypotension, and dehydration, among other symptoms.
You will be asked to hydrate with non-caffeine fluids before the study. You may be asked to not take your normal high blood pressure meds the day of your study. You may be asked to not take your normal high blood pressure meds, and/or diuretic meds, the day of your scan.
The renal scan procedure typically takes about 45 minutes. During this time, your technologist will take a series of pictures to monitor how your kidneys process the radioactive material.
Your technologist will inject a small amount of radioactive material into your vein. As this material travels through your kidneys, images are captured to show how well each kidney is functioning. You may also receive a diuretic medication called Lasix during the scan, which helps your kidneys work faster and provides more detailed information.