Long-term follow-up for percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in renal artery fibromuscular dysplasia.

AIM: Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) is an effective treatment for renal artery stenosis secondary to fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD). This study aimed to evaluate the short-and long-term outcomes of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in patients with hypertension and renal artery fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD). Additionally, we sought to identify specific patient factors that may affect outcomes.

METHODS: This study prospectively enrolled 29 patients with uncontrolled hypertension and renal artery FMD diagnosed by duplex ultrasound and angiography. All patients underwent PTA with the goal of cure or improvement of hypertension. Follow-up was at one-month, 6 months, 12 months and then yearly with minimum follow-up of 2 years and maximum of 5 years.

RESULTS: Technical success from the intervention was 100%. 21 patients were included in the final analysis. Short-term outcomes: One month after PTA mean systolic blood pressure (138.1 mmHg), diastolic blood pressure (78.6 mmHg), and number of anti-hypertensive medications (1.4) were significantly reduced. Blood pressure improvement was driven by 14/21 (67%) patients who had significant improvement in blood pressure, while 7/21 (33%) did not. These two groups (improved vs. not improved) differed significantly in mean age at intervention (40.6 vs. 58.3 years), duration of hypertension (3.1 vs. 15.4 years), systolic blood pressure (150.4 mmHg vs. 162.1 mmHg), diastolic blood pressure (86.4 mmHg vs. 95.7 mmHg), number of anti-hypertensive medications (2.2 vs. 3.0), serum creatinine (0.82 vs. 1.45), and renal resistive index (0.59 vs. 0.74) prior to intervention. Long-term outcomes: Mean follow-up was 3.86 years. Improvements in blood pressure and anti-hypertensive medications remained significant at five-year follow-up.

CONCLUSION: PTA is effective at reducing blood pressure in patients with renal artery FMD. Age at intervention, duration of hypertension, and renal function may be used to predict outcomes prior to intervention.