Renal Arteriograms

HOW DOES IT WORK?

• You will lie on an x-ray table with machines all around you.  You will have a blood pressure cuff on your arm, a clip on your finger to make sure you are getting enough oxygen, and wires on your legs and arms to check your heart rate.
• The nurse will give you pain medication and a sedative, which will help you relax, before the procedure. The nurse will give you more medication if needed. You will feel relaxed, but you will be awake so that you can follow instructions.
• The area where the doctor will be working will be cleaned and shaved. You will be covered with sterile drapes from your shoulders to your feet.
• The radiologist will guide the catheter in and inject the dye. The dye may cause a burning feeling in your legs, but it will pass in 20 to 30 seconds. It is important to hold still during this time. You will not feel the catheter move inside your artery.
• The technologist will tell you to hold your breath and stay still during the pictures (about 10 seconds for each picture). The computerized X-ray used in this procedure is very sensitive to motion. The X-ray machine will move above you and come close to you at times, but it will not touch you. Pictures are taken at many different angles.