Surgical management of renovascular hypertension in older patients

In hypertensive patients over 50 years of age, the high prevalence of renovascular hypertension (31 per cent), the low operative risk for its correction (1 to 2 per cent), and the frequency of benefit from operation (80 to 87 per cent) support an aggressive attitude toward screening and management. Diastolic hypertension greater than 105 mm Hg in the older patient warrants investigation. If such a patient has advanced atherosclerosis with evidence of significant cardiac disease or cerebrovascular disease, the indications for operative management of renovascular hypertension correlated with the severity of hypertension, difficulty of control, and imminence of renal function deterioration. If complicating risk factors are not severe, any patient with diastolic hypertension greater than 105 mm Hg is considered an appropriate operative candidate. In contrast, when risk factors are severe, operative management is undertaken only when hypertension is difficult to control or deterioration of renal function is thought to be secondary to the renal artery stenosis. In these patients the risk of operation is obviously greater and the long term benefits are more limited. Nevertheless, based on our experience, we feel the risk of poorly controlled hypertension or impending renal failure is even higher and justifies operative intervention. Hypertension accelerates the progress of atherosclerosis, and halting or slowing the unrelenting course of atherosclerosis is worthwhile objective if this can be done without unnecessary risk.