Renal denervation: current status and future applications.

Despite the variety of antihypertensive agents that are available, resistant hypertension remains a significant clinical problem and a substantial economic burden. Over the past several years, renal sympathetic denervation has been introduced as a potential therapeutic option for this clinical problem. It is a catheter-based procedure that is showing promising results and appears to be associated with minimal or low risk. Thus far, two completed clinical trials have demonstrated excellent safety and encouraging outcomes. A review of these trials is the focus of this article, in addition to the analysis of ongoing studies, and the possible future applications of this technique.