Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty for renal artery stenosis in a solitary functioning kidney

In five patients with hypertension and marked impairment of renal function due to renal artery stenosis in a solitary functioning kidney, a nonsurgical technique, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, was used to dilate the stenotic renal artery. Blood pressure improved in all five patients, and renal function improved in three. One patient subsequently died of multiple cardiovascular complications, and in one patient the procedure resulted in acute renal failure requiring hemodialysis. Although preliminary, this experience suggests that percutaneous transluminal angioplasty may provide an attractive alternative to surgery in severely ill patients at high surgical risk.