Living Kidney Donation

Chest X-Ray, Renal Scan, CT Scan

Tests for all potential donors

Chest X-ray

The chest x-ray lets the doctors check that the potential donor’s lungs and heart look healthy and normal.

Renal Scan (Nuclear Scan)

A renal scan lets the doctors look at the blood flow in the kidneys and how well each kidney is working. The potential donor will have a dye injected into a vein in their arm through an intravenous (IV) line. The dye travels through the blood to the kidneys. Then pictures of the kidneys are taken to see how well your kidneys remove the dye. The pictures are taken during the whole test that can take up to 4 hours to finish.

Computed Topography (CT) Scan

A CT scan lets the surgeon look at the blood vessels and size of the kidneys. The surgeon uses this information to help decide which kidney to remove for donation. A dye will be injected into your arm through an intravenous (IV) line during this test. The dye will travel through your blood and will cover your kidneys so a clear picture can be taken. This scan could take up to 2 hours to complete.

Current as of: July 25, 2019

Author: Kidney Health Strategic Clinical Network, Alberta Health Services

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