The Larry & Helen Hoag Foundation Pediatric Urology & Nephrology Center offers a number of tests and treatments for a range of urological and renal conditions:

Blood and Urine Tests

  • Blood and urine testing are procedures that are used to determine kidney function, electrolyte levels and blood cell count.

Biofeedback

  • Biofeedback is a method to help a child learn how to control parts of their body that aren’t usually thought to be under conscious control. During biofeedback a computer is used to measure, record and display (or feedback) information about a body process.

C-arm

  • The C-arm is a vital piece of diagnostic technology that provides high-resolution X-ray images in real time, thus allowing the physician to monitor progress at any point during a procedure and immediately make any corrections that may be required. The minimal invasiveness with the use of C-arms has helped lead to the increase of more cost-effective outpatient care and pain-reduced procedures.

Complex Urodynamics Testing

  • Complex urodynamics testing allows a physician to properly diagnose the cause or causes of urinary incontinence. This series of tests look at how well a patient's bladder, urethra and sphincters (the muscles that control voiding) work.

Continuous Veno-Venous Hemofiltration (CVVH)

  • Continuous Veno-Venous Hemofiltration (CVVH), much like peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis, provides a method of cleansing waste and toxin from the patients’ blood, but because it is continuous, rather than intermittent, this form of therapy is best for young patients in critical care.

CTA, MRA

  • Computed Tomographic Angiography (CTA) and Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) are two non-invasive imaging techniques that can produce pictures of major blood vessels in the kidneys and throughout the body. Both of the tests are used to determine disease in kidney arteries and visualize blood flow to help prepare for a kidney transplant.

DMSA Scan

  • A DMSA scan is used to determine kidney function or damage. An injected chemical will light up areas of the kidneys while pictures are taken.

Hemodialysis

  • Hemodialysis is performed in the hospital by trained health care professionals. The child lies on the bed comfortably while the dialysis machine, also called a dialyzer, removes extra wastes and fluids from the blood that travels through a tube.

Peritoneal Dialysis

  • Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) is a more common method for kids and its use depends on the child’s health and kidney condition. Unlike hemodialysis, which cleans wastes from the blood outside of the body, PD uses a membrane in the child’s abdomen, called the peritoneum, as a filter.

Renal Biopsy

  • Renal biopsy is a CT-guided procedure that removes a small piece of kidney tissue for laboratory examination, to diagnose certain kidney complications such as renal failure and hematuria.

Renal Replacement Therapy

  • Renal replacement therapy is used when kidneys no longer work well enough to keep the body healthy. Miller Children’s specialized care team works with DaVita, a nationwide renal therapy care service, to provide quality renal care therapy to patients with acute or chronic renal failure.

Renal Ultrasound

  • Renal ultrasound (also known as sonography) is a non-invasive technique that is used to detect a mass, kidney stone, cyst or other abnormalities. A transducer is passed over the kidney producing sound waves which bounce off the kidney, transmitting a picture of the organ on a video screen. This helps the nephrologist determine an accurate diagnosis.

Voiding Cystourethrogram (VCUG)

  • A voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) allows us to evaluate your child's urethra and bladder size, shape, and capacity by putting dye into the bladder via a catheter in the urethra. This procedure uses x-rays and a contrasting agent that is administered by catheter into your child’s bladder. A VCUG can also help us determine whether your child has reflux — a condition where urine from the bladder goes upward back to the kidneys.