Renovascular hypertension: results in adulthood of renal autotransplantation performed in children

This study describes the long-term results of renal autotransplantation for renovascular hypertension performed in children who are now 21 years of age or older.Sixteen children (4 boys, 12 girls) with a mean age of 11.2 years at the time of the procedure underwent ex-vivo surgery at the university hospital of Saint-Etienne between 1992 and 2008. Acetylsalicylic acid was used for antiplatelet therapy in the postoperative period, without routine anticoagulation. The mean follow-up period was 15 years. The clinical course of these patients was retrospectively reviewed in adulthood and the results analyzed.The children were treated with a mean of 2.37 drugs per patient, and the mean preoperative blood pressure of the entire patient population was 151/89 mmHg. Mean preoperative creatinine clearance was 80 ml/min/1.73 mThis study shows that renal autotransplantation has good and stable long-term results and is an effective conservative strategy for treating renovascular hypertension in children, thus avoiding nephrectomy.