Renal arteriography, also known as renal angiography, gives your doctors a way to see the blood vessels in your kidneys.

Your blood vessels don’t show up on an X-ray. This can make it difficult for your doctors to get an accurate image of them. In an arteriography, doctors inject a special kind of dye into your blood vessels. This dye, also called contrast material, shows up on the X-ray.

This procedure allows doctors to see your veins. They will be able to see blockages, clots, narrowing, and other problems.

Arteriographies can be done on many parts of the body. The term “renal” refers to your kidneys, so a renal arteriography is one that highlights your kidney’s blood vessels.