Dr.sanaz bellucci
May 18, 2024
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How Can I Read An Ultrasound Report?
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Note: This article is only to guide and increase your knowledge. Before taking any action, you can consult “drhealthandbeauty” doctors or your doctor for treatment.
Renal ultrasound, or renal sonography, is a method of taking pictures of your kidneys. Ultrasound is a noninvasive sound wave technology that produces images of organs and body structures.
Unlike other X-ray radiation methods, ultrasound uses sound waves that the human ear cannot detect.
A device called a transponder is placed on the patient’s skin. It emits sound waves that penetrate the body, bounce off organs, and generate data. In fact, the sound waves create images by which the doctor can see the size, shape, location, and, in some cases, the blood flow of the kidneys. Ultrasound is one of the least dangerous methods of diagnosing diseases.
Doctors can identify many diseases using this method. This is why imaging is done for organs such as the kidney, heart, liver, etc. In the doctor’s opinion, a kidney ultrasound can be done with a full or empty bladder because sometimes it is necessary to examine the left and right kidneys and the bladder carefully.
Table of Contents
What is a kidney ultrasound?
Renal ultrasound is a noninvasive test in which the kidneys are imaged using high-frequency sound waves. A transducer pressed on the patient’s skin causes the waves to enter the body, move in the body, and then return from the organ to the transducer. These echoes are converted into videos and images, allowing the doctor to examine the patient’s kidney.
The doctor can evaluate the following with the help of these images:
- The location of the kidneys
- The shape of the kidneys
- Kidney size
- Blood flow to the kidneys
By interpreting these cases, the doctor can diagnose possible injuries, tumors, kidney stones, etc.
In what cases is a kidney ultrasound requested?
Renal sonography is a painless and straightforward procedure that helps the doctor get accurate and detailed information about the patient’s kidney problems and uses the data to determine the best treatment process for his patient. Therefore, it prevents the development of kidney diseases, prescribes appropriate drugs, and gradually, the symptoms of kidney problems disappear. The following are among the diseases that the doctor immediately requests an ultrasound for the patient if their presence is possible. These items include:
Infections
This complication is usually the result of bacteria spreading from another part of the urinary tract to the kidneys. Due to their special anatomy, kidney infections are more common in women than men. If a kidney infection is treated quickly, permanent kidney damage can be prevented.
kidney stone
It usually occurs due to the accumulation and deposition of minerals inside the kidney. Moving a large kidney stone in the urinary tract causes severe pain. If the kidney stone is small and quickly moves through the urinary tract, the patient may not notice the presence of the kidney stone at all. Sometimes, the kidney stone moves in the urinary tract and is expelled from the body along with the urine flow.
Kidney stones can be easily treated if detected in the early stages. But if you neglect to recognize it. It can cause many problems. So it is important to know: “What Are The First Signs Of Kidney Stone?“.
Acute kidney injury
If the kidney suddenly fails within a few hours or days, we are facing the problem of acute kidney injury (AKI). Acute injury is a severe problem that can cost the patient’s life if not treated quickly.
Kidney pain
Kidney pain is felt in the middle to upper part of the back or sides. Of course, feeling pain in the back or sides does not necessarily mean that there is a problem with the kidneys.
Kidney tumor
Renal cell carcinoma is the most well-known type of kidney tumor. Kidney tumors usually affect the elderly, aged 60-80, and are rarely seen in people under 50. Symptoms of a kidney tumor include blood in the urine, constant pain in the back or side, just below the ribs, swelling in the side, or a lump in the side.
Polycystic kidney disease
Polycystic kidney disease is a hereditary disease caused by fluid-filled sacs inside the kidneys. As a result of cysts, the kidney becomes more extensive and eventually fails.
Kidney ultrasound is also used to diagnose the following problems:
- Kidney blockage
- Abscess in the kidneys
- Kidney cyst
- Build-up fluid in the kidneys
- To evaluate renal function in post-transplant patients
- Needle placement guide for biopsies
- Destruction of cysts or abscesses
- Placing a nephrostomy or a drainage tube in your kidneys
Of course, some other treatment processes also require renal ultrasound. For example, when a doctor wants to insert a biopsy needle to take a kidney tissue sample, he will need ultrasound images. Ultrasound images also help the doctor in connecting the drainage tube.
Note: In case of kidney failure, kidney transplant is not the end of the story, but kidney transplant aftercare will be very necessary. For this reason, after transplant, kidney function should be continuously checked with an ultrasound machine.
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Symptoms of the need for kidney ultrasound
The doctor prescribes an ultrasound of the kidneys in the presence of the following cases:
- Abnormal color of urine
- Bad urine test results
- Pain in the back
- Enuresis
- Persistent swelling in the morning
How do I prepare for a kidney ultrasound?
Preparing for this procedure is not difficult, but paying attention to the doctor’s recommendations and instructions is very important. These recommendations include the following:
- Adheres to the diet for three days before the examination and eliminates foods that stimulate or increase gas formation.
- Fasting for 3 hours before examination in young people
- Fasting for 10 hours before examination for elderly people
- Drinking water before the examination and having a full bladder
Interpretation of kidney ultrasound results
Interpretation of kidney ultrasound results includes evaluating various aspects such as size, shape, structure, and any kidney abnormalities. Typically, in adults, the size of each kidney should correspond to the following values:
Size
Length: 10 to 12 cm – Width: 4 to 6 cm
It should be noted that changes up to 2 cm are allowed. If the size of the kidneys is more than these values, it can be a warning for hydronephrosis, polycystic kidney disease or other infiltration diseases.
However, if the measurements are much less than the permissible size, it may indicate chronic kidney disease or hypoplasia.
Thickness: 5 to 4 cm
The cortical and overall thickness of the parenchyma should be between 15 and 25 mm. As the person ages, this number decreases and varies between 10 and 11 mm.
Reduction of parenchyma thickness often indicates chronic kidney disease (CKD) or other long-term kidney pathologies such as glomerulonephritis or ischemic nephropathy.
Although increased parenchymal thickness is less standard, if present, it can indicate acute kidney injury (AKI), compensatory hypertrophy, or infiltrative diseases such as amyloidosis or lymphoma.
Shape and contour:
A healthy kidney looks like a bean, which should have a smooth and bean-shaped contour.
Therefore, the presence of irregular or distorted lines due to ultrasound may indicate scars, tumors, or cysts.
Echogenicity:
Kidney echogenicity refers to the appearance of kidney tissue based on how the tissue reflects ultrasound waves. It is an important parameter in the evaluation of kidney health, and it is compared with the liver or spleen.
If the kidney is healthy, the echogenicity of the renal cortex (the external part of the kidney) should be similar to or slightly lower than that of the liver or spleen. The inner part of the kidney should look less echogenic (darker) than the cortex.
If the kidney cortex looks brighter than the liver or spleen, its echogenicity has increased.
– Increased echogenicity may indicate chronic kidney disease (CKD), acute kidney injury (AKI), glomerulonephritis, or diabetic nephropathy.
And on the contrary, if the kidney cortex looks darker than usual, its echogenicity has decreased.
– Echogenic reduction, although it is less common, can indicate acute inflammation or infection if observed.
Kidney weight: about 120 to 200 grams
As we said, a healthy kidney looks like a bean, which is retroperitoneal and is located on both sides of the spine in front of the 12 thoracic, 1 and 2 lumbar vertebrae.
The correct kidney size is slightly lower than the left kidney and may move 2-3 cm during breathing.
It is worth considering that if any of these parameters increase, it indicates an inflammatory process. Therefore, more tests will be needed for a more accurate diagnosis.
Frequently asked questions
Is ultrasound dangerous?
To date, no harmful side effects have been seen for ultrasound and the diagnostic method is safe. In this method, unlike X-ray tests, no radiation is used and it is completely painless.
Does ultrasound have all the contraindications?
This diagnostic examination has no contraindications and is allowed even for babies, pregnant and lactating women. Its relative contraindications include tissue and skin injuries in the kidney area, which include burns, deep wounds, or abrasions. In this case, the ultrasound will be postponed until the skin is completely healed.
Conclusion
Kidney ultrasound will be prescribed if you have symptoms. This is a safe and painless diagnostic method that takes less than 30 minutes and helps the doctor to see the desired details and the size and shape of the kidneys and to diagnose possible problems and diseases. According to the results obtained from this noninvasive sound wave technology, the doctor may prescribe more tests such as blood tests, urine tests, biopsies, etc.
Dr.sanaz bellucci
I am Sanaz Bellucci , a dentist. In this electronic magazine, I publish my collection of research and studies on various topics related to health and beauty that you may face with it.
You can also share your questions of interest with me so that I can give them complete and comprehensive answers. stay with me.
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Dr.sanaz bellucci
May 25, 2024