Effect of primary balloon expandable renal artery stents on long-term patency, renal function, and blood pressure in hypertensive and renal insufficient patients with renal artery stenosis.

Stents were deployed in 83 renal artery lesions of 63 subjects. All were hypertensive and 29 were renal insufficient (RI). Technical success was 99%. Long-term (11.3 +/- 3.8 months) patency was evaluated with ultrasound in 69 lesions (51 ostial). Technical success and long-term patency rates were not significantly different between ostial and non-ostial lesions. Ten lesions restenosed (14%). At most recent follow-up (10.2 +/- 4.5 months) hypertensive subjects were classified as cured (3.7%), improved (35.2%), unchanged (53.7%), or worse (7.4%). Systolic pressure was significantly improved throughout follow-up but diastolic pressure was only significantly lower at discharge. Based on serum creatinine, Rl subjects were classified as improved (36%), unchanged (46%), or worse (18%). Complications included transfusion (10), renal artery perforation (3), and renal failure (8). Eight transfused subjects also had retroperitoneal bleeds. Rl subjects were more likely to develop acute renal failure. Subjects who died (9) were more likely to have Rl at baseline and to suffer renal artery perforation during the procedure. Patient risk factors and procedural technique contributed to complications in this study, but for most patients stenting yielded excellent technical success and long-term patency for ostial and non-ostial lesions. The effect on blood pressure and renal function was favorable.