Renovascular Hypertension
How is the disease diagnosed?
Diagnosis is made by looking at health records, and doing a physical exam and
lab tests. Most people with this disease have very high blood pressure despite
taking many drugs to control it. If they begin taking ACE inhibitors, they
often develop low blood pressure or kidney failure.
These tests are usually done:
the captopril test, where captopril is given to see if the blood pressure
drops
ACE inhibitor-stimulated renography, which is an X-ray of the kidney and
its blood system, taken after the patient is given an ACE-inhibitor such as
captopril
duplex ultrasound
magnetic resonance arteriography (MRA) (special three-dimensional
imaging using magnets). During this test, a group of pictures are taken of the
arteries around the kidney. This information allows physicians to see the flow
of blood to the kidneys and determine the location and amount of blood vessel
blockage.
renal arteriogram (x-ray test in which dye is injected into the artery
to make sure it is not blocked or narrowed). This test is used if a doctor
thinks a person has this disease, but the MRA wasn't clear, or if a doctor
needs a clearer picture of the blocked arteries.
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