Kidneys are vital organs that filter the blood and eliminate excess waste and fluid to keep our bodies healthy. Part of the urinary system, kidneys filter blood and create urine as a by-product and are critical for maintaining normal blood pressure.
According to the National Health Portal, 1 in 10 people is affected by kidney disease globally while Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is the 6th fastest-growing cause of death.
What is Chronic Kidney Disease?
CKD is the progressive loss in kidney function over a while and leads to kidney failure when it doesn’t function upto a specified limit.
Kidney disorders can be detected by symptoms such as fatigue, feeling dizzy, shortness of breath, etc. In the early stage of CKD, medication helps control and regulate the signs. But sometimes, the symptoms can be unclear and doubtful. Depending on the cause, certain disorders can be alleviated.
There are basic procedures like blood tests for GFR, Urine Tests for Albumin, etc to detect and subsequently treat kidney ailments. Experts now recommend radiology, a minimally invasive method to help you heal rapidly. According to them, it will also lessen pain in kidney failure or chronic kidney disease.
But how effective is Radiology to treat kidney disorders?
In conversation with the Hindustan Times, MD Radiologist Sunita Dube said, “For renal failure or chronic kidney disease patients, interventional radiology is a minimally invasive diagnosis and treatment option. Interventional radiologists diagnose and deliver precise treatment via a small tube, or catheter, guided by advanced imaging as a safer, less painful alternative to surgery.”
She further amplified that even though there have been a lot of technologies in treating kidney disorders and reflecting modalities, old technologies are still essential to inspect and diagnose chronic kidney diseases for instance- Plain radiographs (x-rays), ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and angiography, etc.
