Vascular Interventional Radiology Treatments for Kidney Disease

The kidneys filter blood and make urine to remove waste products from the body. The urine travels through a long tubular structure called a ureter connecting the kidney to the bladder. Your urine may not flow properly if a kidney or ureter becomes blocked due to scarring, tumors or kidney stones. This blockage may lead to kidney damage and renal (kidney) failure.

Interventional radiologists may perform an imaged-guided procedure to place nephrostomy tubes (small, flexible tubes) directly into the kidney to allow alternative drainage pathway. This decreases pressure on the kidneys and may reduce the risk of further damage.

When necessary, interventional radiologists can use an image-guided procedure to place nephroureteral stents to hold the ureter open. This procedure allows urine to flow into the bladder more easily.

These procedures may also be performed pre-operatively at the request of your urologist.

Your kidneys help regulate blood pressure within your body. However, in some cases, the kidneys send incorrect chemical signals to the body, resulting in renovascular hypertension (elevated blood pressure).

A specialized procedure called renal denervation can disrupt abnormal signaling from the kidney and help treat resistant high blood pressure. Using an image-guided endovascular technique, specialists enter a vein at the neck or groin and use wires and catheters (thin tubes) to guide to the kidney. Then, they use special catheters to heat and damage some of the kidney’s nerves and prevent future abnormal signaling.