[Initial experiences in nuclear medicine and endocrine diagnosis with captopril in unilateral renal artery stenosis]

This is a report about our first experiences in diagnosis of renovascular hypertension using the renal sequence scintigraphy and the examination of peripherical renin activity before and 1h after p.o. application of captopril. Discriminating indicators for an unilateral artery stenosis are the captopril-induced delay of the maximum (greater than 1 min) and the lowering of the amplitude of one of the time activity curves, the pronounced cortical retention of the radiopharmacon at 20 min and the significant increasing of renin after captopril. Both methods are an improvement in the detection of renovascular hypertension, if the stenosis of the renal artery is more than 50%. If the stenosis is only less than 50% you cannot observe changes of the parameters. By means of further investigations it is to be proofed, if both methods are able as screening tests to fill the niche between clinical suspect and angiography and furthermore if they are predictive tests for lowering of the blood pressure by angioplasty or surgical correctur of the stenosis.