Selecting Transfemoral Access or Upper Extremity Access for Renal Denervation Based on Vascular Morphology: Long-term...

To evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of transfemoral access (TFA) versus upper extremity access (UEA) for renal denervation (RDN) based on vascular morphology. This study retrospectively enrolled patients with resistant hypertension who underwent RDN treatment via TFA and UEA (brachial, radial, and ulnar artery) at the Fuwai Hospital between February 2012 and November 2019. Follow-up was conducted at 6 months, 1 year, and 3 years after RDN, and the last visit was June 2023. A total of 85 patients were enrolled, 58 (68.2%) of them were treated via TFA, and 27 patients (31.8%) via UEA. The fluoroscopy time was less in the TFA group (12.2 ± 5.7 min vs. 15.2 ± 7.2 min; p = 0.038). The procedure time (TFA group: 40.8 ± 14.9 min vs. UEA group: 38.6 ± 11.6 min; p = 0.506), contrast volume (TFA group: 78.2 ± 25.9 mL vs. UEA group: 91.9 ± 39.7 mL; p = 0.061) were similar between two groups, without procedure-related complications. Fifty-eight participants completed the last visit with a 3-12 year of follow-up (9.5 ± 1.3 years). Compared with baseline, there were no significant differences in the change of office systolic blood pressure (-12.6 ± 21.6 mmHg vs. -13.1 ± 22.8 mmHg; p = 0.933), 24-h mean systolic blood pressure (-11.9 ± 14.2 mmHg vs. -11.3 ± 15.3 mmHg; p = 0.899), the number of antihypertensive drugs, and renal function between two groups. There were three adverse events in the TFA group (3 of 58 patients, 5.2%) versus one (1 of 27 patients, 3.7%) in the UEA group, without a significant difference between the two groups. The study showed RDN via UEA was feasible using a special-designed catheter, particularly in patients with illegal vascular morphology via TFA.