Using a radioactive drug excreted by the kidney, nuclear medicine can assess the function of both kidneys or either one. Above is a kidney functional image. Heart disease, kidney failure, and stroke are among the consequences of untreated hypertension. The majority of patients with hypertension suffer from a variety known as Essential Hypertension. The precise cause of this ailment in unknown, but therapy with drugs can usually bring this disease under control.
Drug therapy decreases the risks of stroke, heart disease, and kidney failure.
In some patients, standard therapy for hypertension seems ineffective. The blood pressure remains markedly elevated even after what appears to be adequate drug treatment. In this group, other causes of hypertension must be considered. One of these causes is a narrowing of the blood vessels supplying the kidney. The kidney plays a role in regulating the blood pressure.