Does complete renal denervation translate into superior clinical outcomes? Lessons learned from denervation of accessory renal arteries.

Pre-clinical studies of renal denervation would suggest that the extent of renal nerve injury correlates with outcomes. The "completeness" of renal nerve injury following renal denervation correlates with treatment-based variables such as the depth of ablation, the number of ablations along the length of the artery, and the number of renal arteries successfully ablated. Renal denervation techniques targeting only main renal arteries may lead to suboptimal results in patients with accessory renal artery anatomy. Technological differences among the different systems may make some more suited for this common anatomical variant. The early clinical experience with renal denervation of accessory renal arteries highlights the importance of complete renal denervation for clinical success.