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The Kidney in the Elderly

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Radiological Imaging of the Kidney

Part of the book series: Medical Radiology ((Med Radiol Diagn Imaging))

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Abstract

The aims of this chapter are to illustrate the typical imaging findings of the kidney in elderly patients and the typical features of the main renal pathologies in the elderly patient. The kidneys present some important morphologic changes according to the patient’s age, which can be detected first by gray-scale ultrasound (US) and color Doppler US, and second, by all the other imaging modalities. These changes have an impact on patient management, particularly with respect to drug therapy. The landmark is diffuse irregular margins due to nephronangiosclerosis of the intrarenal arteries. The fundamental alterations of renal morphology in elderly patients include size reduction, parenchymal thickness reduction, margin irregularities, and increased cortico-medullary differentiation. The main renal pathologies, including vascular and tumoral diseases, present some peculiar features in the elderly patient.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Cattinara Hospital, University of Trieste, Strada di Fiume 447, Trieste, 34149, Italy

    Emilio Quaia & Marco Cavallaro

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  1. Emilio Quaia
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  2. Marco Cavallaro
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Correspondence to Emilio Quaia .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ospedale di Cattinara, Ist. Radiologia, UniversitĂ  Trieste, Strada di Fiume 447, Trieste, 34149, Italy

    Emilio Quaia

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Quaia, E., Cavallaro, M. (2010). The Kidney in the Elderly. In: Quaia, E. (eds) Radiological Imaging of the Kidney. Medical Radiology(). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-87597-0_28

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-87597-0_28

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-87596-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-87597-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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