Surgery for occlusive renal artery disease: immediate and long-term results

A retrospective study is presented concerning 115 patients submitted to renal artery surgery from 1978 to 1990, and observed during 2 to 15 years. Included are 69 men and 46 women, aged 14 to 84 years (mean: 58.8 years). The underlying occlusive arterial disease was atherosclerosis in 87 patients, fibromuscular dysplasia in 21, and miscellaneous causes in 7 cases. One hundred and one patients (88%) were hypertensive. Some degree of impaired renal excretory function (serum creatinine level above 16 mg/l) was present in 30% (n = 42) of the patients, whereas 11 patients had severe renal insufficiency (creatinemia above 30 mg/l). Primary nephrectomy was performed in 11 patients as sole procedure and was associated with contralateral revascularization in another 9 patients. A variety of types of arterial reconstruction was performed, although more than half of the procedures were aortorenal bypass grafts. Bilateral procedures were performed in 19 cases. Simultaneous extrarenal operations included aortic reconstruction (n = 43), mesenteric arterial repair (n = 8), and carotid endarterectomy (n = 5). Operative mortality (9/115, 7.8%) varied considerably between the subgroups: 4% for group I (hypertension alone, n = 73), 15% for group II (renal impairment with or without hypertension, n = 34), and 12.5% for group III (acute renal failure, n = 8). There were 3 late non procedure-related in-hospital deaths. Preoperative renal insufficiency was the only independent predictive risk factor for operative death. The procedure was curative or led to improved blood pressure control in 79% (80/101) of hypertensive patients. The response rate was better for recent onset hypertension, compared to long-standing hypertension. Of the 42 azotemic patients, 78% had a benefit (improvement in 50%, stabilization in 28%) of renal revascularization. Associated longstanding hypertension had a negative prognostic value. Sequential clinical and functional follow-up evaluations are available on 99 of the 103 surviving patients. Cumulative 5-year survival is 87%. Cardiovascular causes account for most (11/15) of the late deaths.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)