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Point-of-Care Kidney and Genitourinary Ultrasound in Adults: Image Acquisition
03:19

Point-of-Care Kidney and Genitourinary Ultrasound in Adults: Image Acquisition

Published on: June 21, 2024

Prevalence of renal artery and kidney abnormalities by computed tomography among healthy adults

Elizabeth C Lorenz1, Terri J Vrtiska, John C Lieske

  • 1Mayo Clinic, 200 1st Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.

Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN
|January 22, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Incidental renal artery and kidney abnormalities are common in potential kidney donors, with 25% showing at least one finding. Most abnormalities do not prevent kidney donation, highlighting the need for further clinical relevance studies.

Area of Science:

  • Nephrology
  • Radiology
  • Urology

Background:

  • Management of incidental renal artery and kidney abnormalities detected via computed tomography (CT) scans presents a clinical challenge.
  • The precise frequency of these abnormalities in healthy individuals is not well-established.
  • This study aimed to determine the prevalence and management of these findings in potential kidney donors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To estimate the prevalence of renal artery and kidney abnormalities in a large cohort of potential kidney donors.
  • To assess the impact of these incidental findings on eligibility for kidney donation.
  • To analyze the relationship between abnormality prevalence and donor demographics (age, gender).

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 1957 potential kidney donors evaluated at Mayo Clinic between 2000 and 2008.
  • Review of computed tomographic angiography and urography reports for renal artery and kidney abnormalities.
  • Stratification of prevalence by age and gender, and determination of exclusion rates for donation.

Main Results:

  • 25% of potential donors exhibited at least one abnormality; common findings included kidney stones (11%), focal scarring (3.6%), fibromuscular dysplasia (2.8%), and renal artery narrowing/atherosclerosis (5.3%).
  • Certain abnormalities like fibromuscular dysplasia and scarring were more prevalent in women.
  • Abnormalities such as renal artery narrowing and scarring increased with age.
  • Only 6.7% of potential donors were excluded from donation due to these incidental radiographic findings.

Conclusions:

  • Incidental radiographic abnormalities of the renal arteries and kidneys are frequently observed in potential kidney donors.
  • The majority of these imaging findings are considered not severe enough to preclude kidney donation.
  • Further research is necessary to ascertain the long-term clinical significance of these common incidental findings.
Abstract

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