New treatment for old disease: management of resistant hypertension by percutaneous renal sympathetic denervation.

Hypertension is a major contributor to cardiovascular events, such as stroke and myocardial infarction, with accelerated sympathetic nerve activity implicated in its pathogenesis. However, hypertension in many patients is not adequately controlled, despite the availability of numerous medication classes. Novel procedure-as well as device-based strategies, such as percutaneous renal sympathetic nerve denervation therapy-have been developed to improve blood pressure in these refractory patients. Renal sympathetic denervation delivers not only a decrease in blood pressure levels but also renal as well as systemic sympathetic nerve activity. The reduction in blood pressure appears to be sustained over 3 years after the procedure, which implies no counterregulatory mechanism or re-innervation of afferent renal sympathetic nerve so far. Renal sympathetic denervation is expected to be a promising treatment for patients with hypertension, congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and metabolic syndrome implicated in the pathogenesis of potentiated sympathetic nerve activity. This review will focus on the current devices and procedures, their outcomes and prospects in the treatment of hypertension.