In many instances, the pertinent clinical history and laboratory assessment of patients prior to beginning a sonographic study are not clearly understood or are completely overlooked. It is imperative that these prelim- inary avenues be exhausted upon approaching and ob- taining a clinical differential diagnosis of the patient's condition for the interpreting physician. The purpose of this article is to provide 1) a review of renal anatomy and basic function; 2) further explanation of laboratory tests and values related to the diagnostic evaluation of the kidneys; 3) encouragement for sonographers to better understand and correlate available laboratory data to aid in approaching a sonographic diagnosis.
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