Type of Surgery
Information

Last updated: 11/24/2009
Kidney function tests is a collective term for a variety of individual tests and procedures that can be done to evaluate how well the kidneys are functioning. A doctor who orders kidney function tests and uses the results to assess the functioning...
of the kidneys is called a nephrologist.
Advertisement
This narrated animation shows how the sugar (glucose) that we eat is taken up by cells with the help of the pancreatic hormone, insulin. It also describes how Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus affects the body through problems with insulin and sugar uptake by cells.
Search
Other Information
Definition
Kidney function tests is a collective term for a variety of individual tests and procedures that can be done to evaluate how well the kidneys are functioning.
Purpose
The kidneys, the body's natural filtration system, perform many vital functions, including removing metabolic waste products from the bloodstream, regulating the body's water balance, and maintaining the pH (acidity/alkalinity) of the body's fluids. Approximately one and a half quarts of blood per minute are circulated through the kidneys, where waste chemicals are filtered out and eliminated from the body (along with excess water) in the form of urine. Kidney function tests help to determine if the kidneys are performing their tasks adequately.
Other Information
As a urologist, I've found it's easier to do the PSA test and then sit down with the patient and say here's what the results mean for you. Given what we know right now, that seems a very sensible approach.
-Dr. Evan Vapnek
Find a Qualified Specialist
Looking for a specialist?
Please enter your zip code.
