Renal artery stenosis: preliminary results of treatment with the Strecker stent.

Use of the Strecker flexible balloon-expandable tantalum stent for treatment of renal artery stenosis after failed angioplasty or transaortic thromboendarterectomy was evaluated in 10 patients (nine hypertensive, one normotensive). Left (n = 3) and right (n = 5) renal arteries were involved; renal artery stenosis in two patients had developed after kidney transplantation. Indications for stent placement were inadequate immediate postangioplasty response (n = 7), development of considerable restenosis after angioplasty (n = 1), and obstructing intimal flaps following transaortic endarterectomy (n = 2). Stent placement was technically successful (less than 20% residual stenosis) and patency was preserved in eight patients. Of the seven hypertensive patients with successful implantation, two were cured, three had improvement, and two had no change at latest follow-up evaluation (mean, 10.6 months; range, 6-12 months). The Strecker stent may be helpful in treating restenosis after failed revascularization procedures, although the precise indication, true safety, and long-term efficacy of stent placement in renal arteries will not be known until trials with more subjects and longer follow-up periods are completed.