We have a DMSA scan scheduled!
Lizzie finally has her DMSA scan scheduled for next month. It’s been a long process….. really long, and we are excited to finally have it scheduled. The DMSA scan will give us a better look at her kidneys, the amount of scarring that is present, and how they are functioning.
We will go in that morning and she will have an IV put in which will distribute an agent through her body that we can see with the test. After 2 hours, she will be strapped to a table and the test itself should only take about a half hour. We will be doing the test without sedation.
When the test results come in (later that day), we will hopefully have some useful info about how Lizzie’s kidneys are working. We will know if there is any enlargement, how significant the scarring is, and how well each kidney is actually functioning.
The great thing about the kidneys, is that if one is not functioning well, the other will usually pick up the slack. In an ideal world, both kidneys will be functioning at 50%, which added together will make 100%. In a lot of kids with kidney damage, one kidney may only function at say 30%. However the other kidney, if working properly, should work harder at 70% to balance out the kidney that is not functioning at full capacity. Together they still equal 100%, which is the main goal.
I am very interested to see what the extent of scarring is to her kidneys. Based on her history, you would expect to see significant scarring due to the multiple infections. Her ultrasounds, and blood tests have come back good, so we are still hopeful that this is not the case. Once scars are present, they are there to stay. One of the dangers of scarring is hypertension, and since Lizzie’s blood pressure is much higher than we would like it to be, I’m anxious to see if scarring is to blame. This test will help us determine how concerned we need to be about hypertension later on.
Unless there is significant scarring, this test will not change her treatment, and we will continue with the vesicostomy for at least another year or two. We will also continue to monitor for hypertension for many years to come. If there is significant scarring, we may be inclined to keep the vesicostomy a little longer to help prevent any further scarring. Most studies show that the majority of scarring occurs before the age of 5, so if her scarring is considerable, we might wait until past that age to take down the vesicostomy. This will be especially important if the Deflux has not resolved her VUR.
We have the test done next month, on January 22nd. I will be sure and update our test results and what they will mean for Lizzie’s future.
