PERIPHERAL VASCULAR PROCEDURES << BACK Renal Angiography and Intervention Renal angiography is an X-ray of the arteries that supply blood to the kidneys, using dye. This procedure is performed on patients with high blood pressure or with impaired kidney function. Before the procedure, a local anesthetic is given, and a needle is inserted into the artery, usually in the leg. A catheter (a long, narrow, flexible tube) is threaded into the artery through the main vessels of the pelvis, up to the abdominal aorta. This procedure is monitored by a fluoroscope, a special X-ray that projects the images on a TV monitor in real time. The dye is then injected into the renal artery through the catheter (a long, narrow, flexible tube), and images are taken. If a narrowing of the artery is found, the patient may be a candidate for angioplasty (repair of the artery using a tiny catheter with a balloon attached to the end). Risks include the possibility of allergic reaction to the dye. There is a rare risk the catheter may damage the artery or knock loose a piece of the artery wall, which can then lodge in the vessel and block blood flow.