DTPA Renal Scan – An Overview for a Better Understanding
DTPA Renal Scan or Diethylenetriaminepentacetate Renal scan is a technique to diagnose and evaluate the health of kidney and the state of its functioning. The technique involves intravenous administration of a specific type of radiopharmaceutical material for assessing the kidney drainage pattern. The process also helps to find out specifically the particular component(s) or area(s) of the kidney that is not functioning properly.
The process is absolutely painless and non-invasive and is considered to have caused a revolution in the treatment of renal complications. It is effective enough to detect every kind of renal complications and abnormalities and comes in particularly handy in diagnosing cases that a kidney function test fails to diagnose or detect.
This state of the art evaluation process helps the doctors to determine the most appropriate path of treating the patients. It also helps to treat kidney-related abnormalities without any surgery or invasion.
The uniqueness of DTPA Renal Scan
- In a typical DTPA Renal Scan, a Gamma Camera embedded with the scanner captures multiple high-quality images of the kidneys in quick succession, thus helping in the diagnosis and analysis of the renal functioning with precision and meticulousness.
- The most advanced scanners use state of the art Dual-Head SPECT Gamma Cameras, like Symbia E an Symbia S varieties. The multipurpose SPECT systems, which are used in DTPA Renal Scanning combines versatility with high performance, thus helping the system yield perfect and optimal results.
- In fact, this state of the art technology makes sure that the patient is exposed a minimal radiation amount, thus reducing the risk of radiation exposure by manifold, compared to a normal x-ray. It does emit radiation, but at a very low level (well within the nationally recommended levels).
The Advantages
The DTPA Renal Scan is unique from every angle and is considered the most efficient mechanism of monitoring the fluid flow functioning through the kidneys. The process comes in handy when it comes to treating:
- Presence of tumors and lumps or cysts in kidneys
- Presence of any swelling in the kidneys resulting from any infection
- Renovascular hypertension
- Any type of abnormality that resulting from transplantation of kidney(s)
- Detecting blockage in the renal arteries due to trauma or an injury
- Diagnosing kidney failure or any other type of abnormality
Preparing for a DTPA Renal Scan
1) The patient needs to provide the doctor’s prescription along with the reports of any scans previously conducted. This will help the radiologist understand the suspected complication and chalk out a plan, which will help in generation of appropriate reports.
2) The patient needs to take off the dress and put on a loose gown that the clinic will provide
3) Any jewelry or metal objects like a belt that the patient is wearing need to be taken off.
4) If the patient is taking routine cardiac medicines, he or she can do so before the scan. Drinking water is also allowed.
5) If a woman is suspecting pregnancy or at a very early stage of pregnancy, that is apparently not visible that should be informed to the radiologist. Also, any mother breastfeeding her baby should inform the radiologist accordingly.
