Invasive treatment for renovascular disease. A twenty year experience from a population based registry

To analyze time trends in invasive treatment of renovascular disease in one country.

Data have been analyzed from registrations in the Swedish Vascular Registry.

Invasive treatment for renovascular disease contributes around 1% of all vascular surgery within the Swedish Vascular Registry. Over the twenty-year period 1987-2006 the population-based frequency of invasive treatment for renovascular disease has increased; 1 597 procedures have been registered with an increase over time. The age of the treated patients has increased over the period (P<0.001). There has been a shift from open to endovascular procedure and from isolated percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA) to PTRA combined with a stent. Complications and mortality are significantly higher in patients undergoing open reconstruction (P<0.01). One year follow-up is incomplete and long-term results are therefore not possible to evaluate through registry-data only.

Using nation-wide registry data it is possible to analyze time-trends also concerning rare diseases or interventions. The changing pattern toward endovascular treatment of renovascular disease is obvious. Follow-up data at one year are incomplete.