Renal artery disease

Renovascular disease (narrowing of the main arteries to the kidneys) is most often caused by either atherosclerosis (also called “hardening of the arteries”) or fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD). When atherosclerosis or FMD affects the kidney, it can cause uncontrolled high blood pressure. The condition is known as renovascular hypertension. Renovascular hypertension develops as a result of decreased blood flow to the kidney. This decreased blood flow can also cause a change in kidney function that worsens over time. Four out of every 10,000 people have renal artery disease. It is most common in men over the age of 60.

If you are diagnosed with renal artery disease, your physician may recommend angioplasty with or without placement of a stent in the diseased renal artery. During these procedures, the narrowed renal artery is made wider, so blood can flow more easily to the kidney. During an angioplasty, a catheter (or tube) with a small balloon on the tip is inserted into the artery and guided to the area where the artery has narrowed. The radiologist then inflates and deflates the balloon several times to crack the plaque and press it against the artery wall. Once the blockage has been flattened and the artery is open, the balloon is deflated and the catheter is removed. Specially designed stents can also be placed in the artery to hold the walls open.

The whole process takes about one to two hours. The hospital stay is usually one day. If the blockage in your kidney cannot be treated with angioplasty or stenting, you may need to undergo renal artery bypass surgery. In this surgical procedure, a graft usually made of leg vein is used to create a new path around the blocked renal artery. The hospital stay is five to seven days, and the total recovery time is six to eight weeks.