Unilateral renal artery stenosis presenting as acute flaccid paralysis: a rare presentation.

Renovascular hypertension is one of the common causes of secondary hypertension. Here we report a case of patient of renal artery stenosis presenting to the emergency department as a case of acute flaccid paralysis. Renal artery stenosis has been associated with hypokalaemia, but rarely reported to be symptomatic. Initial correction of hypokalaemia leads to improvement of weakness and aetiological work up for hypokalaemia with hypertension revealed hypokalaemia due to hyperaldosteronism secondary to unilateral renal artery stenosis. The patient was managed medically with aldosterone antagonist in the anti hypertensive therapy and weakness did not recur despite withdrawal of potassium supplements. On follow-up, the patient was ambulatory with no signs of weakness, controlled blood pressure and normal potassium level.

Revascularization of atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis for chronic heart failure versus acute pulmonary oedema.

AIM: The aim of the study is to determine whether the apparent benefit of revascularization of renal artery stenosis for 'flash' pulmonary oedema extends to heart failure patients without a history of prior acute pulmonary oedema. METHODS: A prospective study of patients with renal artery stenosis and heart failure at a single centre between 1 January 1995 and 31 December 2010. Patients were divided into those with and without previous acute pulmonary oedema/decompensation. Survival analysis compared revascularization versus medical therapy in each group using Cox regression adjusted for age, estimated glomerular filtration rate, blood pressure and co-morbidities. RESULTS: There were 152 patients: 59% male, 36% diabetic, age 70 ± 9 years, estimated glomerular filtration rate 29 ± 17 mL/min per 1.73 m2 ; 52 had experienced previous acute pulmonary oedema (34%), whereas 100 had no previous acute pulmonary oedema (66%). The revascularization rate was 31% in both groups. For heart failure without previous acute pulmonary oedema, the hazard ratio for death after revascularization compared with medical therapy was 0.76 (0.58-0.99, P = 0.04). In heart failure with previous acute pulmonary enema, the hazard ratio was 0.73 (0.44-1.21, P = 0.22). For those without previous acute pulmonary oedema, the hazard ratio for heart failure hospitalization after revascularization compared with medical therapy was 1.00 (0.17-6.05, P = 1.00). In those with previous acute pulmonary oedema, it was 0.51 (0.08-3.30, P = 0.48). CONCLUSION: The benefit of revascularization in heart failure may extend beyond the current indication of acute pulmonary oedema. However, findings derive from an observational study.

Renal artery stenosis in kidney transplants: assessment of the risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Transplant renal artery stenosis (TRAS) is an important cause of hypertension and renal allograft dysfunction occurring in kidney transplant recipients. However, conflicting predisposing risk factors for TRAS have been reported in the literature. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to assess the potential correlation between possible risk factors and TRAS in a group of living donor renal transplant recipients 1 year after the renal transplantation. METHODS: We evaluated the presence of renal artery stenosis in 16 recipients who presented with refractory hypertension and/or allograft dysfunction 1 year after renal transplantation. Screening for TRAS was made by magnetic resonance angiography and diagnosis was confirmed by conventional renal angiography. Age, gender, history of acute rejection, plasma lipid profile, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, serum uric acid, calcium phosphate (CaPO4) product, alkaline phosphatase, fasting blood sugar, hemoglobin, and albumin were compared between the TRAS and non-TRAS groups. RESULTS: Of 16 kidney transplant recipients, TRAS was diagnosed in three patients (two men and one woman). High levels of calcium, phosphorous, CaPO4 product, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were significantly correlated with the risk of TRAS 1 year after renal transplantation (P < 0.05). Serum level of uric acid tended to have a significant correlation (P = 0.051). CONCLUSION: Correlation between high CaPO4 product, LDL cholesterol, and perhaps uric acid and TRAS in living donor renal transplant recipients 1 year after renal transplantation might suggest the importance of early detection and tight control of these potential risk factors.

Arteritis de Takayasu: caso clínico y seguimiento por 23 años / Takayasu arteritis: case-report and outcome in 23 years

La arteritis de Takayasu es una vasculitis granulomatosa, rara en pediatría, que afecta a la arteria aorta y grandes vasos, produciendo hipertensión arterial y alteración de los pulsos. Nuestro objetivo es presentar a una paciente diagnosticada a los 5 meses de edad y analizar los aspectos clínicos, de diagnóstico, tratamiento y seguimiento de esta enfermedad. Caso Clínico: Paciente de 23 años de edad sexo femenino, cuyo diagnóstico de Arteritis de Takayasu fue hecho en la época de lactante, encontrando en ella hipertensión arterial severa, diferencia de presiones en extremidades superiores, y estenosis de aorta y arterias renales. Se muestra la evolución desde el punto de vista clínico y de imágenes, destacando la importancia actual de la angio resonancia para el control de las estenosis arteriales y de la ecografía para el control de crecimiento renal. Se discute, de acuerdo a la literatura al alcance, respecto al modo de seguimiento de la actividad de la enfermedad, especialmente en relación al hemograma y velocidad de eritrosedimentación. Se analiza el tratamiento con esteroides y otros inmunosupresores, como Azatioprina y Metotrexato, así como el tiempo a usar estos medicamentos y las indicaciones, cuando corresponde, de cirugía y/o angioplastía percutánea. Conclusión: Aunque se trata de una patología poco frecuente, hay que considerarla en los niños hipertensos severos; es importante tomar las presiones en las 4 extremidades, así como los pulsos, y si es necesario debe realizarse el estudio angiográfico, el cual actualmente es posible realizarlo en forma no invasiva con Angio-Resonancia y/o Angio-TAC, con buenos resultados. El tratamiento médico, fundamentalmente con corticoides, es efectivo en la mayoría de los casos y la cirugía debe reservarse a aquellos casos en que exista riesgo de oclusión de alguna de las grandes arterias.

Hypertension and renal artery stenosis: a complex clinical scenario.

Hypertension remains the most common reason for patients to visit physicians in the United States. Although awareness of hypertension among patients continues to increase, adequate control of hypertension remains poor. In addition, as the population of patients with hypertension ages, atherosclerosis becomes increasingly prevalent. Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis is the most common secondary cause of hypertension and can cause hypertension to be difficult to control. Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis may also result in chronic renal insufficiency. The physician must be aware of the clinical scenarios in which renal artery stenosis may occur, methods of diagnosis, and indications for intervention.

Estenosis de la arteria renal y embarazo / Stenosis of the renal artery and pregnancy

La hipertensión renovascular es una entidad de diagnóstico infrecuente en el embarazo y agrega un factor de riesgo grave para la madre y el feto. El manejo médico conservador es una de las alternativas terapéuticas en esta etapa y las opciones quirúrgicas (revascularización, angioplastia endoluminal percutánea y nefrectomía) se reservan para casos severos en que el tratamiento no es satisfactorio, habiendo en la literatura actual casos resueltos en forma invasiva durante la gestación. Presentamos un caso de hipertensión renovascular en una gestante joven, que fue manejado en forma conservadora

Diagnosis of angiotensinogenic hypertension: the complementary roles of renal scintigraphy and the saralasin infusion test.

A recently developed 1-day screening procedure for angiotensinogenic ("high-renin") hypertension is based on (A) a fall in blood pressure in response to intravenous infusion of the angiotensin antagonist, saralasin (P-113), and (B) peripheral venous renin assays by radioimmunoassay, in a sodium-depleted state. Out of 700 hypertensive patients screened by these tests, 160 had renal imaging performed with technetium-99m glucoheptonate and iodine-131 Hippuran. The P-113 infusion test proved superior to peripheral venous renin assays for the detection of angiotensinogenic hypertension. Positive infusion tests correlated well with renal vein renin assays. Frequently, however, both these tests were positive with bilateral renal disease and/or malignant hypertension. While renal imaging proved valuable in indicating which patients had a unilateral abnormality, it frequently could not distinguish unilateral renovascular disease from unilateral parenchymal disease unrelated to angiotensinogenic hypertension. Twenty-five patients in this series had arteriographic renal artery stenosis, of whom 3 had false negative P-113 infusion tests, 9 had negative peripheral renin assays, and 3 had no imaging abnormalities. This study indicates that scintigraphy is a useful procedure for the investigation of hypertensive patients when the initial P-113 infusion test is positive, or discordant with other findings. By imaging, angiotensinogenic hypertension due to bilateral renal disease can be distinguished from unilateral renovascular disease, and the site of the ischemic renal tissue can usually be identified.