Comparison of histopathologic analysis following renal sympathetic denervation over multiple time points.

Background: The pathology of radiofrequency-derived sympathetic renal denervation has not been studied over time and may provide important understanding of the mechanisms resulting in sustained blood pressure reduction. The purpose of this study was to investigate chronological changes after radiofrequency-renal denervation in the swine model.

Methods And Results: A total of 49 renal arteries from 28 animals with 4 different time points (7, 30, 60, and 180 days) were examined.