ABSTRACT
Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis is the most common cause of secondary hypertension, being present in some degree in <5% of the general population of hypertensive patients. However, several clinical subsets of patients in which atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis is much more common, such as those with hypertension and renal insufficiency, and in patients with associated coronary or peripheral vascular disease. There is general agreement among investigators that the natural history of renal artery stenosis is for the lesions to progress over time. In a prospective study of patients with renal artery stenosis treated medically, progression occurred in 42% of the patients over a 2-year period. Renal artery stent placement is an effective therapy for renovascular hypertension. Dorros et al demonstrated that renal artery stent placement was more effective than balloon angioplasty alone in improving or abolishing pressure gradients across renal artery lesions treated.
