Medhaps

Case Study: Case of the Right Kidney

Aug 13, 2009 | No Comments

Case Synopsis

About Margaret

It was April of 2003 when Margaret*, then a 65-year old woman, visited Dr. Arnold* because she was experiencing kidney failure. Dr. Arnold was a board certified urologist who had been practicing in Maryland since 1977.

Margaret suffered other medical ailments such as high blood pressure and has had intestinal bypass surgery for morbid obesity.  She has been treated many times for urinary tract infections, needed to urinate overly frequently, had kidney stones, as well as intermittent flank pain that required her to be treated in the emergency room.

Just a little background, before Margaret visited Dr. Arnold, she had three radiologic studies done. She had an MRI, NM Renal, and an Abdominal Ultrasound which all showed her right kidney more diseased than her left.

Visit with the Urologist

On that first visit to Dr. Arnold on April of 2003, the doctor found that Margaret had no flank tenderness on either side. He diagnosed Margaret with bilateral renal atrophy, left kidney stone, and right hydronephrosis. A month later, Margaret went for a NM Renal Captopril study which basically showed the right kidney with decreased function, but the left side with normal function.