Renovascular hypertension: treatment by percutaneous transluminal dilatation.

Eight patients with unilateral renovascular hypertension underwent percutaneous transluminal dilatation. In seven, renal-artery stenoses were caused by atherosclerotic lesions and in one, by fibromuscular hyperplasia. After a 6-month follow-up period, three patients were cured of hypertension anf four showed improvement. Only one patient failed to respond: Failure was caused by an occluded left renal artery 3 months after the procedure. Renal angiographic studies were repeated in six patients after 6 months of follow-up and showed patent vessels in five and reoccurrence of a slight renal-artery stenosis in one. In one patient angiographic control studies done after 3 months showed an occluded renal artery. In five patients mean pressure gradient across the renal-artery stenoses was 89 +/- 22.8 mm Hg before percutaneous transluminal dilatation and 16.4 +/- 18.5 mm Hg after being controlled for 6 months. Our results indicate that percutaneous transluminal dilatation may be valuable in the treatment of renovascular hypertension.