Search

Background: Renal artery stenosis (RAS) is a potentially curable cause of secondary hypertension, but the indications for interventional treatment of renovascular hypertension are still a matter of debate. The aim of the study was to investigate immediate and long-term results of percutaneous renal artery revascularization (PTRA). Primary technical success, peri-intervention complications, patency, the course of arterial hypertension and renal function were analyzed., Methods: 32 renal interventions in 24 consecutive patients (15 PTA, 17 stents) were investigated in a retrospective cohort study. Comorbidities, interventional data and serum creatinine were recorded. Patients were followed for a median period of 45 months (IQR, 32 to 68). Clinical evaluation of the course of blood pressure, serum creatinine, Doppler ultrasound evaluation and multi-slice spiral-CT angiography were performed at follow-up., Results: Primary technical success was achieved in 30 interventions (94%), and in 2 patients during a secondary intervention. The rate of complications was 16% (n = 5). Three major complications were encountered (9%): 1 renal artery thrombosis and 2 acute renal failures. Three patients developed late renal failure after 1, 4 and 37 months, but the overall serum creatinine levels remained stable during the observation period. Hypertension was improved after intervention in 17 patients (71%). However, recurrent hypertension was found in 9 patients (38%) after a median period of 49 months (IQR, 47 to 96). Patency rates at 12, 24 and 72 months were 94%, 94% and 64%, respectively., Conclusion: Renal artery PTA can be performed with an acceptable rate of major complications and good long term morphological results. However, clinical outcome in terms of sustained improvement of hypertension is moderate.

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy and cost-efficacy of the diagnostic procedure and treatment for renovascular hypertension., Setting and Patients: A total of 519 patients referred to the university clinic for hypertension were screened for renovascular hypertension with 405 captopril challenge tests (CCT) and 450 captopril renographies (CRG)., Interventions: Abdominal angiography was performed on 84 patients for positive screening. Fifteen patients underwent angiography for a sole suspicious clinical presentation. The angiography revealed 17 renal artery stenoses and five occlusions in 20 patients. Fifteen technically successful angioplasties and three nephrectomies were performed., Results: In the patients who underwent angiography, CCT had a specificity of 39% and a sensitivity of 67% for renovascular hypertension. CRG had a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 68%. In the whole study population, the estimated specificity of CCT was 88% and that of CRG 95%. Invasive treatment reduced systolic/diastolic blood pressure from 157/99 to 140/87 mmHg and the number of antihypertensive drugs used from 2.6 to 1.4 in 16 patients (mean age 49 years). Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition was effective in four elderly patients. Cost-efficacy analysis Screening with CRG and invasive treatment cost US$15400 per successful invasive treatment Equally effective pharmacological treatment would have cost US$10400. Limiting the screening with CRG to the 173 patients with no obvious renal parenchymal disease and with hypertension at a younger age (< or =30 years) or unresponsive to two antihypertensive drugs (diastolic blood pressure > 90 mmHg) would have yielded a prevalence of 12% and missed only one elderly patient who responded to ACE inhibition. The limited screening, along with invasive treatment, would have cost US$7300 per patient, Conclusions: CRG is superior to CCT for screening of renovascular hypertension. Screening with CRG is cost-effective when limited to patients with no obvious renal parenchymal disease and with hypertension that does not respond to two antihypertensive drugs or is detected in patients no older than 30 years.