Medical lesson turns into life-saving discovery of mass on student's kidney at Hofstra University
HEMPSTEAD, New York (WABC) -- A routine medical school lesson turned into a life-saving discovery at Hofstra University on Long Island.
First-year medical student Aria Moreno volunteered to get an ultrasound during her class, which revealed she had a large mass on her kidney.
Moreno said the situation could've been much worse if it wasn't for the ultrasound.
"I would have lost like more function in my right kidney, maybe the whole thing," Moreno said.
The ultrasound class at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in Hempstead saved Moreno. The medical student believes she was at the right place at the time when she volunteered to be scanned.
"I think of it as we all learn on each other," Moreno said.
Moreno had no idea the ultrasound would lead to a diagnosis.
"Immediately as soon as it popped up on the screen, I thought, OK, this looks very abnormal," Northwell resident Amanda Aguilo-Cuadra said.
Northwell resident and a graduate of the school, Aguilo-Cuadra discovered the large mass on Moreno's kidney during her anatomy lesson in September. She waited until the end of class to tell Moreno privately.
"I see some dilation. I'm worried you may have something called hydronephrosis, that can be caused by a bunch of different things, most likely, you know, some type of obstruction, like a kidney stone," Aguilo-Cuadra recalled telling Moreno.
Moreno said she was surprised to hear the news.
"It was kind of shocking at first. I'm like, there's no way that you found that. Just like, that doesn't make any sense. I'm not having any symptoms," Moreno said.
The resident's advice led Moreno to get surgery. Now, Moreno has 50% kidney function on the right side, 100% on the left.
"It was tough, I had a couple of stents that were really uncomfortable, but I'm feeling back 100% now. Back to dancing, back to running, things I like to do." Moreno said.
School leaders say this is one of a few medical schools with this level of extensive ultrasound training starting in the first year, which is a graduation requirement.
"We've been committed to point-of-care ultrasound training because we knew back then that that was the future," said David Battinelli, dean of Hofstra's Zucker School of Medicine.
Aguilo-Cuadra credits her time in residency in equipping her with life-saving skills.
"Being a brand new resident coming into this field, it gave me a whole set of skills that I probably wouldn't have had," Aguilo-Cuadra said.
As for Moreno, the experience has reignited her passion to save others.
"It feels like a sign to me that I was meant to be here at this school, in med school, doing these things," Moreno said.
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
