Diagnostic Tests related to CKD

Blood and urine sampling is an important part of your on-going care at San Antonio Kidney, the nephrologist uses these results to see what changes may need to be made in your treatment program.

Blood and urine may be drawn at a private laboratory setting, your PCP’s office, or at San Antonio Kidney office, depending on your insurance and preference.

Always request that your lab results are shared with your nephrologist if drawn elsewhere, or if you would like us to share your results with your other health care providers please let us know.

An Ultrasound may be ordered to help diagnosis kidney disease. Ultrasounds are safe and painless, and produce pictures of the inside of the body using sound waves. Ultrasound imaging is also called ultrasound scanning or sonography. A small probe called a transducer and gel placed directly on the skin and high-frequency sound waves travel from the probe through the gel into the body, the probe collects the sounds that bounce back. A computer uses those sound waves to create an image. Ultrasound exams do not use radiation (as used in x-rays) or contrast dye. Because images are captured in real-time, they can show the structure and movement of the body’s internal organs. They can also show blood flowing through blood vessels.

These are useful for your nephrologist to see if there are any structural abnormalities in or around your kidneys they also help them define the size of your kidneys.

These tests may be done at an imaging location or scheduled at your San Antonio Kidney office.

Peripheral artery disease, or PAD, is a disease in which plaque builds up in the arteries that carry blood throughout your body. Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, fibrous tissue, and other substances in the blood.

When plaque builds up in the body’s arteries, the condition is called atherosclerosis. Over time, plaque can harden and narrow the arteries. This limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your organs and other parts of your body.

PAD usually affects the arteries in the legs, but it also can affect the arteries that carry blood from your heart to your head, arms, kidneys, and stomach.

Blocked blood flow to your legs can cause pain and numbness. It also can raise your risk of getting an infection in the affected limbs.

If you have leg pain when you walk or climb stairs, talk with your doctor. Sometimes older people think that leg pain is just a symptom of aging. However, the cause of the pain could be PAD.

Tell your doctor if you’re feeling pain in your legs and discuss whether you should be tested for PAD.

Smoking is one of the main risk factor for PAD If you smoke or have a history of smoking, your risk of PAD increases. Other factors, such as age and having certain diseases or conditions, also increase your risk of PAD.

Although PAD is serious, it’s treatable. If you have the disease, see your doctor regularly and treat the underlying atherosclerosis. PAD treatment may slow or stop disease progress and reduce the risk of complications. Treatments include lifestyle changes, medicines, and surgery or procedures.

Pic from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/peripheral-artery-disease

Your doctor may recommend a kidney biopsy to get an accurate diagnosis about your kidney disease so appropriate plan of care can be designed for your individualized treatment regime.

The process requires removing a sample of kidney tissue for testing. A kidney biopsy is often done with local anesthesia using a long, thin needle that’s inserted through your skin and into your kidney. The biopsy sample is sent to a lab for testing to help determine what’s causing your kidney problem.