Acute Renal Failure: Diagnostic Tests

Optional medical device diagnostics – depending on the results of the history, physical examination, and obligatory laboratory parameters – for differential diagnostic clarification.

  • Renal ultrasonography (ultrasound examination of the kidneys) including the urinary tract.
    • [postrenal renal failure: congested renal pelvis (e.g., due to prostate enlargement, retroperitoneal tumor).
    • Measurement of renal size and parenchymal width allows to differentiate between chronic and acute renal damage;
    • Statements on non-obstructive acute renal failure (AVN) are limited]
  • Color-coded Doppler sonography (FKDS): medical imaging technique that can dynamically visualize fluid flow (especially blood flow) [allows to detect disorders of renal perfusion (blood flow to the kidneys), such as those caused by stenosis (narrowing of blood vessels; e.g., aortic stenosis) or occlusion of the large extrarenal (“outside the kidneys”) vessels]
  • CT angiography (CT angio)/MRI angiography (MRI angio) refers to a radiological examination procedure in which the blood vessels are examined using computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – in cases of suspected aortic dissection (aneurysm dissecans aortae: splitting of the wall layers of the aorta), renal artery stenosis (narrowing of the artery supplying the kidneys (renal artery)).