Renal denervation for resistant hypertension: yes.

Sympathetic overactivity may have a role in triggering and maintaining resistant hypertension, and catheter-based renal denervation (RDN) has emerged as a promising treatment in refractory hypertension. Recently, the results of the Symplicity HTN-3, the first randomized, sham-controlled trial, failed to confirm the previously reported BP-lowering effects of RDN, although definitive conclusions cannot be drawn due to a number of study limitations. Consequently, although some centers halted their RDN programs, research continues and both the concept of denervation and treatment strategies are being redefined. A new generation of sham-controlled trials is currently underway with the aim of detecting which patients are expected to achieve the most beneficial effect from RDN. In this article, we examine the current data on RDN and discuss some insights and future opportunities.