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What blood tests will I need to find out if a patient and a potential donor are a kidney match? There are three main blood tests that will determine if a patient and a potential donor are a kidney match. They are blood typing, tissue typing and cross-matching....

Reflux is a disorder in which urine backs up (refluxes) from the bladder to the kidney. The amount of reflux can be large or small. What causes reflux? In the human urinary tract there is a valve where the bladder joins the urine tube, or ureter, that comes from the kidney. Some children are born...

What is extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy? Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy is a technique for treating stones in the kidney and ureter that does not require surgery. Instead, high energy shock waves are passed through the body and used to break stones into pieces as small as grains of...

Good health care is always a team effort—especially for transplant recipients. You and your family are the most important members of the transplant care team. You can take an active role in your care by learning all you can and taking part in your treatment plan. Since each member of the health...

What blood types "match"? Blood typing is the first blood test that will determine if your blood is compatible with the potential donor's blood. If the donor's blood type works with your blood type, the donor will take the next blood test (tissue typing). Kidney donors must have a compatible blood...

Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in American men. One of every 10 American men will develop prostate cancer at some time in his life. Prostate cancer is usually curable when caught and treated early. However, many cases are not diagnosed until the disease is advanced. Since early...

Anti-Rejection Medications. Medications that are taken every day for the rest of your life after receiving a transplant. When you get a kidney transplant, your body knows that the new kidney is foreign (that is, not originally part of your body). Your body will attack the new kidney and try to...