Your kidneys filter your blood minute by minute, so any impairment to their blood flow requires urgent attention. Renal artery stenosis occurs when the blood vessels that feed your kidneys with oxygenated blood become narrowed or blocked. This could lead to high blood pressure, kidney damage or even kidney failure.
To diagnose renal artery disease, your doctor advise a diagnostic renal angiography, a hospital-based procedure that uses X-rays and a contrast dye inserted by catheter to view the flow of blood through your kidneys’ arteries.
Possible treatments for kidney artery problems include:
- Medications, such as cholesterol-lowering drugs and high blood pressure prescriptions
- Renal artery angioplasty, which opens a blocked artery with a balloon-tipped tube
- Stent placement, a tiny expandable tube left in the renal artery to keep it open for blood flow
- Lifestyle changes, including weight management, smoking cessation
Your doctor may also recommend a CT or MRI to further examine your renal arteries.
