Percutaneous Nephrostomy

Your physician has referred you to the Diagnostic Services Department at United Hospital Center for a Percutaneous Nephrostomy.

A Percutaneous Nephrostomy consists of the insertion of a plastic drainage catheter through the skin into the kidney. The exam is usually performed with anesthesia to relieve any discomfort.

If you are currently not a patient in the hospital, you will be asked to report to the hospital registration department two (2) hours prior to your scheduled exam. After registration, you will be escorted to a hospital room where you will be prepared for the exam. An intravenous (IV) line may be inserted into a vein in your arm.

After arriving in the Diagnostic Services Department, you will be asked to sign a consent form. You will then be placed on a radiographic table on your back. The radiologist will then numb the skin around the kidney area using a local anesthetic so, at this time, you will feel a little needle stick. After the area is numbed, another needle is inserted into the kidney. Once this needle is inserted, contrast medium (x-ray dye) is injected to check the needle location. Once the needle is in place, a series of wires and plastic catheters is used to place a drainage catheter into the kidney. After the procedure, you will have a plastic catheter outside the skin on your back; the catheter is attached to a bag. Care must be taken after the procedure not to pull on the plastic catheter.

After the procedure is completed, you will be taken to the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) to be observed and evaluated before you are discharged.

Risks involved in this examination include: infection, reaction to contrast medium, bleeding, punctured bowel, and/or urine leakage.

Your physician feels the benefits of this procedure outweigh the risks and would aid in the diagnosis of your medical condition.

Please DO NOT eat or drink anything after midnight the night before your scheduled exam. However, you may take your medications with small sips of water, unless your doctor tells you otherwise.

LENGTH: Approximately 2 hours

If you are pregnant, or think you might be, tell your doctor and the technologist BEFORE the exam.