[Percutaneous renal artery angioplasty--review of current indicators]

The most frequent cause of secondary arterial hypertension is renal artery stenosis. The aetiology of renal artery stenosis is mainly atherosclerotic (75-80%), in the remaining cases fibromuscular dysplasia is the causative factor. Renovascular hypertension has a poorer prognosis than spontaneous because it is more resistant to antihypertensive treatment, signifies an increased risk for the development and progression of malignant hypertension and may lead to irreversible renal dysfunction due to ischaemia. Renal revascularisation has been proved an effective treatment modality in patients with arterial hypertension or renal failure due to renal artery stenosis. However, surgical treatment is associated with the mortality rate of 6-9% due to the concomitant presence of ischaemic heart disease, cerebral and peripheral arteriosclerosis. Percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty is equally effective in the treatment of arterial hypertension as surgical operation, leading to the improvement or stabilisation of renal function. The advent of renal stenting has markedly changed the efficacy and safety of procedures with PTRA becoming an alternative to surgery. The high efficacy of PTRA is associated with low mortality and relatively few complications as compared with surgical treatment. However, there is continuous discussion concerning the efficacy of percutaneous and surgical renal revascularisation in arterial hypertension. PTRA is currently increasingly frequently recommended in patients with renovascular hypertension not only to control blood pressure but also to protect renal function.