Short-term and long-term outcome following renovascular reconstruction

Experience with renovascular reconstruction at the authors' institution over the past 16 years has been reviewed. A total of 76 patients underwent surgical intervention for renovascular disease during that time. This included 62 patients with atherosclerosis and 11 with fibromuscular hyperplasia. Indications for intervention were uncontrolled hypertension in 42 patients and to restore renal impairment in eight. The procedure was performed for both indications in 26 patients. Ten patients (13%) died in the perioperative interval, which correlated strongly with comorbidity. With the exception of one patient, all deaths occurred in the elderly (> 65 years). While an increased mortality rate (P < 0.05) was observed in those undergoing concomitant surgical procedures (20%) as opposed to those undergoing renovascular reconstruction alone (6%), this was not an independent risk factor. Both the short term and long term response of hypertension control to renovascular reconstruction were favourable, with age < 60 years, shorter duration of hypertension (< 5 years) and diagnosis of fibromuscular hyperplasia predictive of a better response. Renovascular reconstruction, while successful in stabilizing or even improving renal function in the short term, was poor at restoring function long term, especially in the subgroup of patients whose serum creatinine was > 200 mumol/l at the time of reconstruction.