Evaluation of renal artery stenosis in dialysis patients

Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (RAS), recognized as a contributor to chronic kidney disease (CKD), may be present in a substantial fraction of dialysis patients. It is generally unknown what proportion of end-stage renal disease patients on dialysis could recover kidney function if RAS were treated. Patients with CKD are often inadequately screened for RAS because of technical limitations of various screening modalities. Multiple small case series and studies have evaluated the role of revascularization for renal salvage in dialysis patients with RAS; these studies are reviewed. Large prospective, randomized multicenter trials of intervention for RAS exclude patients with advanced CKD. The risks of intervention must be weighed against the potential for renal recovery, even when predictors of success are not known with certainty.