Kidney Stone Diagnosis
Diagnosing the cause of kidney failure is very helpful in recovering the kidney from the disease and function properly. Hence, when a person is experiencing the symptoms of kidney failure, immediate consult should be done with the doctor to diagnose the disease. Kidney stone diagnosis includes medical history of family, urine test, biopsy and kidney scans.
Medical Examinations
Generally, doctors perform different tests and scans for diagnosing kidney stones. Doctors also need to study the medical history of the patient and his/ her family. These tests also involve ultrasound test and biopsy. As per the patient's age and health, doctors study the following factors:
- Blood pressure level
- Patient's health history
- Health history of patient's family
- Toxins and wastes level in blood
- Protein or blood amount in urine
Laboratory Tests
These tests are performed on blood sample and urine samples of the patient, and they are helpful in determining the responsible factors for kidney failure and other kidney problems also.
- Blood Test: If the waste products level is increased more than the usual level, it suggests the kidney failure condition. The abnormal presence of waste products is the primary symptom of kidney failure. Generally, a blood test is performed to detect following changes:
- Creatinine
- Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)
- estimated glomerular filtration rate (EGFR))
- Urine Test: This test is considered as a routine screening examination that includes analyzing the level of white blood cells, red blood cells and proteins in the urine. It also includes detecting the creatinine and urea amount in the urine to check the kidney functions and whether the toxins are being clear3d properly.
Imaging Tests
Imaging tests provide some specific kidney images that are helpful in identifying the structural blockage or problem in kidney. Doctors use different types of imaging techniques like Computed Tomography (CT) scan, ultrasound, intravenous pyelogram (IVP) and isotope scan. These imaging test are very effective tools to determine the presence of kidney failure in a person.
Kidney Biopsy
Kidney biopsy is performed on a small section of kidney to define the nature of kidney damage and to identify its extent. A biopsy also provides details of the factors responsible for blood or protein presence in the urine and determines the proper treatment to reduce the complications.
As per the above all tests and medical examinations, doctors are able to detect the most responsible factor of kidney failure. The details available from these tests help the doctor to recommend proper treatment that can recover the kidney failure as early as possible with effective methods. Proper diagnosis can decrease the average damage caused by kidney failure.
