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European Radiology
Published in: European Radiology 11/2005

01-11-2005 | Urogenital

Contemporary imaging techniques for the diagnosis of renal artery stenosis

Authors: T. Leiner, M. W. de Haan, P. J. Nelemans, J. M. A. van Engelshoven, G. B. C. Vasbinder

Published in: European Radiology | Issue 11/2005

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Abstract

Renal artery stenosis (RAS) is a potentially curable cause of renovascular hypertension (RVH) and is caused by either atherosclerosis or fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) in the vast majority of patients. Although intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography (IA-DSA) is still considered the standard of reference test for the anatomical diagnosis of RAS, noninvasive techniques such as MR angiography, CT angiography, and color-aided duplex ultrasonography are promising alternatives that also allow functional characterization of RAS. We provide an overview of these techniques and discuss their relative merits and shortcomings. Analysis of high-quality studies shows that both MR and CT angiography are significantly more accurate for the diagnosis of at least 50% atherosclerotic RAS than ultrasonographic techniques. The primary strength of ultrasonography at present is its suggested ability to predict functional recovery based on preinterventional resistance index measurements. A still unresolved issue is the detection of FMD. Because missing RVH may have serious consequences the most important requirement for a screening test is that it has high sensitivity.
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Metadata
Title
Contemporary imaging techniques for the diagnosis of renal artery stenosis
Authors
T. Leiner
M. W. de Haan
P. J. Nelemans
J. M. A. van Engelshoven
G. B. C. Vasbinder
Publication date
01-11-2005
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
European Radiology / Issue 11/2005
Print ISSN: 0938-7994
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1084
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-005-2826-6

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