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The purpose of this study is to obtain pictures of your kidneys and how they respond to captopril ö a tablet which may lower you blood pressure. This is to help the doctor diagnose your condition, and give appropriate treatment.
On arrival you will be asked to lie down on a couch for 10 minutes. You will then be given a captopril tablet to swallow with 2 cups of water. Your blood pressure will be monitored every 10 minutes. When it has fallen by 10 units, the renogram (kidney study) will be carried out (your blood pressure will not be monitored for more than 1 hour). After emptying your bladder, you will be asked to lie with your back against a gamma camera. You will be given an injection containing a small amount of radioactivity into a vein in your arm. The camera will then take pictures of your kidneys for 30 minutes. In order to get good pictures, the camera will be close and you will have to remain still.
If you are pregnant, or you think you might be pregnant, you need to inform your doctor or the Nuclear Medicine staff before attending your appointment. In general, exposure to radiation during pregnancy should be kept to a minimum and it may be necessary to postpone your scan. The present guideline recommend that breast feeding need not be interrupted if the mother is undergoing this test; however, it is advisable to feed the baby before the injection and to express and discard any milk secreted over the first 3 hours following the injection.
We would prefer that you do not bring more than one person with you. It is advisable not to have a pregnant woman or a small child with you. This is to avoid exposing them to unnecessary radiation. It is also preferable to avoid prolonged close contact (hugging a child, sitting a child on your knee for more than half an hour) for the rest of the day.
You may eat, drink, and take your medication as normal .If you are taking the following tablets, you may be required to stop them for 1 week before the test:Candessartan , captopril, cilazapril, Enalapril, Fosinopril, Irbesartan Imidapril, Lisinopril, Losartan, Moexipril, Peridopril, Quinapril, Rampril, Telmisartan, Trandopril, Valsartan.
The needle prick from the injection may hurt a little. Our doctors will be available during your stay in the department to answer any queries and to provide medical cover in case of any rare side effect from the injection we give you.
The amount of radioactivity you receive in this study is strictly within the recommended national level. At this level, the benefit to you from a diagnosis of your condition outweighs the risk (negligible) of any harm associated with the radiation you will receive.
You may eat as normal. The more fluid you drink the better, as the radioactivity is passed out in the urine. No extra precautions need to be taken when passing urine.
The Nuclear Medicine doctor will report on the study, which will be sent to the doctor who requested the study. He/she will be able to discuss the results with you in relation to other tests you may have had.