Experimental analysis of transvenous ultrasonography in localizing and grading renal artery stenosis.

This study evaluated the potential for transvenous ultrasonography to assess renal artery stenosis (RAS), the most common correctable cause of hypertension in the United States. We developed a porcine model for studying RAS using TVUS. An endovascular ultrasound probe was placed into the inferior vena cava and renal veins to image renal arteries in which stenoses had been surgically created in varied locations and to varied degrees. TVUS was then used to identify and assess these stenotic lesions. The accuracy of TVUS for determining the degree and location of the stenoses was then determined using contrast arteriography as the standard. When compared with arteriography, TVUS identified and properly located all six lesions and correctly quantified the degree of stenosis in five of the six lesions. TVUS is an effective means of assessing the presence, degree, and location of stenotic lesions of the renal arteries in this animal model. Study of this method in humans may be warranted.