Renal artery stenosis managed by Palmaz stent insertion: technical and clinical outcome

To assess the technical and clinical outcome of Palmaz renal artery stent insertion in patients with renal artery stenosis.

Twenty-nine patients with radiological evidence of renal artery stenosis and hypertension (16 patients, mean +/- SD diastolic blood pressure 100.5 +/- 8.16 mmHg) and/or renal impairment (17 patients, mean +/- SD serum creatinine 376 +/- 169 mu mol/l) were referred for radiological intervention. Of these, 22 had ostial atheromatous lesions, six had atheromatous non-ostial lesions and one patient had fibromuscular dysplasia. Palmaz stent insertion was performed where either previous or concomitant percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA) had been unsuccessful. Technical success was defined primarily as <30% residual stenosis. A prospective radiological and clinical follow-up was performed and the results compared with the outcome following PTRA alone in a similar group of patients from our centre.

Immediate technical success was achieved in all 29 patients. Follow-up angiography in 24 patients after a mean of 7 months showed restenosis in four patients. The hypertension was not 'cured' in any patient; a blood pressure fall was observed in seven patients (44%) and no change in the remaining nine subjects (56%). Renal function improved in four patients (24%), two of whom had angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor-exacerbated renal impairment. This compares with an immediate technical success of 81% for PTRA alone, with cure in 50% and improvement in 32% of patients with hypertension and improvement in renal function in 64.7% of patients with renal impairment.

Palmaz renal artery stent insertion has a higher technical success rate than PTRA, but the clinical improvement is disappointing in our patient population.