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| Why would my physician order this procedure |
To assist your physician in the diagnosis of renovascular hypertension (high blood pressure due to or associated with renal disease). |
| Exam preparation |
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This might be a 1-day (with Captopril) or 2-day (with and without Captopril) exam, depending upon the results of the first day.
Since this is a functional test your cooperation with the preparation is very important. |
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With captopril
- Clear liquids only on day of this exam
- Do not take any antihypertensive medication the day of this exam
- You can take diuretics
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Without captopril
- No diet restrictions
- Do not take any antihypertensive medication the day of this exam
- You can take diuretics
- Do not take any angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (Captopril, Lisinopril) for 2 days before this exam
- You need to drink the same amount of fluids as on the day with Captopril
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To perform this exam, we must give you a small amount of radioactive materials.
Tell your doctor if you might be pregnant, if you are pregnant, or if you are a nursing mother. |
| What to expect |
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A technologist will explain the entire process to you prior to starting the exam. He/she will also ask you some health history questions, which will help our radiologist interpret your exam. |
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With Captopril
You will be given 25 mg of Captopril and your blood pressure will be monitored for about 1 hour. During this time you will also need to drink about 2 glasses of water.
You will be able to empty your bladder as often as you need to. After an hour, a technologist will place an intravenous (IV) line in your arm and we will have you lie flat on our scanning bed while our imaging camera is positioned under you.
The radiopharmaceutical reagent will be given through your IV line and images will be acquired for about 25 minutes. |
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Without Captopril
The technologist will place an IV line in your arm and the imaging procedure will be repeated as described above. |
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If you have any technical questions specific to this procedure, please don’t hesitate to ask the technologist during the exam. All clinical questions should be directed to your physician.
A report will be sent to your ordering physician. |
| How long will it take |
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With Captopril
You will be in our department for about 90 minutes. If you wish you can bring a book for the first 60 minutes. |
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Without Captopril
You will be in our department for about 30 minutes. |
| Possible complications or side effects |
No complications are expected from this procedure. |
| Radiation risk statement |
Studies of the health effects of radiation have shown that high doses of radiation can cause cancer. However, this hospital procedure requires that we inject you with a very low level of radioactive material.
The risk from lower doses of radiation, such as you will receive during this exam, is uncertain. Most scientists believe that the risk is very small. Certainly, the benefits received from the exam far outweigh the small risk associated with this procedure |
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