Renal denervation for resistant hypertension: acute results and long-term follow-up.

Introduction: Renal sympathetic hyperactivity is vital for the maintenance and progression of essential hypertension. Catheter-based renal denervation is an evolving concept with favourable results regarding the control of hypertension; however, clinical experience is still limited.

Methods: We enrolled 15 patients with resistant hypertension who underwent percutaneous, catheter-based radiofrequency treatment for renal artery denervation. Patients were followed up for 4 to 13 months.

Results: Baseline mean blood pressure was 169/96 mmHg (SD 9/11), and patients were receiving a mean 3.9 ± 0.8 antihypertensive medications. Blood pressure values were reduced to 136/79 mmHg (SD 10/7), and antihypertensive medications to 2.9 ± 0.8 at 6.9 ± 3.4 months after the procedure. All procedures were uneventful and technically easy. The only drawbacks of the procedure are pain that the patient may feel during energy delivery, and the inability to obtain a sustained impedance reduction that allows completion of radiofrequency current delivery at some sites in the renal artery.

Conclusions: Renal denervation facilitates control of resistant hypertension with reduction of medication, and appears to be a safe and technically easy procedure to accomplish.