Surgical treatment of renal artery dissection in 25 patients: indications and results.
OBJECTIVE
Results of surgical revascularization in 25 patients with renal artery dissection (RAD) over 14 years, with mean follow-up of 55.3 months (range, 10-111 months), were analyzed. Indications for surgery were renovascular hypertension and preservation or improvement of kidney function.


METHODS
Two patients (both 20 years of age) underwent emergency surgery after severe trauma; 23 patients (mean age, 41 years) underwent elective surgery in a chronic stage of disease. Preoperative, postoperative, and follow-up examinations included duplex ultrasound scanning, determination of serum creatinine and urea concentrations, and evaluation of blood pressure control. All long-term patients underwent digital subtraction angiography preoperatively and postoperatively. All histologic specimens of resected renal arteries were re-evaluated by two independent pathologists.


RESULTS
Histologic re-evaluation confirmed the traumatic origin in 2 patients who underwent emergency surgery and 1 who underwent elective surgery. Renal artery dissection developed spontaneously, with no histologic signs of trauma or fibromuscular dysplasia, in 22 patients. In 17 revascularized kidneys (61%) a kidney infarction had already developed preoperatively, and the kidneys were diminished in size or function. Results of revascularization and improvement of hypertension depended on preoperative extent of renal infarction. Hypertension resolved or improved in 86% of patients without preoperative kidney damage, but in only 38% with preoperatively damaged kidneys. Kidney function was preserved in 23 of 28 revascularized kidneys (82%). During follow-up, late renal artery occlusion developed in 3 kidneys.


CONCLUSIONS
Renal artery dissection can be effectively treated with surgical revascularization. Primary nephrectomy should be considered only in patients with a large ischemic kidney infarction, with significant deterioration of kidney function, to effectively cure or improve severe renovascular hypertension.
Müller
Barbara Theresia
BT
Department of Vascular Surgery and Kidney Transplantation, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Germany. Weis.Mueller@t-online.de
Reiher
Lutz
L
Pfeiffer
Tomas
T
Müller
Wolfram
W
Hort
Waldemar
W
Voiculescu
Adina
A
Grabensee
Bernd
B
Fürst
Günther
G
Sandmann
Wilhelm
W
D000328:Adult; D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006978:Hypertension, Renovascular / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012077:Renal Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018616:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex; D014553:Urinary Tract Physiological Phenomena; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures