New CTA technique helps catch renal artery stenosis

Korean researchers report that gauging the concentration of contrast enhancement in urine during CT angiography can reliably pinpoint renal artery stenosis.

Dr. Chang Kyu Sung, a radiologist at Seoul National University, prospectively reviewed 33 patients with suspected renovascular hypertension and 43 patients with other conditions but otherwise normal blood pressure. All patients underwent contrast-enhanced CTA followed by intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography during a three-year period (AJR 2006;187[2]:532-540).

Researchers found the urine-CT attenuation ratio accurately indicated the affected kidney, helped detect hemodynamically significant renal artery stenosis, and supported other CTA findings. The urine-CT attenuation ratio could be used for the noninvasive assessment of renal function and as an adjunct to helical CTA, the researchers said.