title: The role of nephrectomy of the atrophic kidney in bearers of renovascular hypertension.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluation of the beneficial effect of nephrectomy of the atrophic kidney on blood pressure (BP) and renal function.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study of 51 patients with renovascular hypertension (RVH), bearers of atrophic kidney due to severe stenosis or occlusion of the renal artery. Average age was 47.1 +/- 15 years, the median creatinine clearance was 54 mL/min, average systolic BP (SBP) 149.6 +/- 22.5 mm Hg, average diastolic BP (DBP) 90.8 +/- 17 mm Hg and the median number of hypotensors 3 (1 to 5) per patient per day. Blood pressure and serum creatinine were analyzed from 12 to 60 months after the nephrectomy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant improvement in the average SBP in the periods from 12 to 36 months (p < or = 0.028) and for the average DBP from 12 to 48 months after the nephrectomy (p < or = 0.045), accompanied by a significant reduction in the use of hypotensors from 12 to 48 months (p < 0.05). One year after the nephrectomy, there was a 69% improvement in blood pressure and 63.8% improvement in renal function of patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The removal of atrophic kidney in patients with RVH is a safe procedure which presents benefits for the control of arterial hypertension and renal function in bearers of renovascular hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. m.j.thomaz@uol.com.br
authors.forename: Myrian J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Thomaz
authors.forename: Antonio M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Lucon
authors.forename: Jose N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Praxedes
authors.forename: Luis A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Bortolotto
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Srougi
mesh_terms: D001284:Atrophy / Q000601:surgery; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006978:Hypertension, Renovascular / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D007668:Kidney / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009392:Nephrectomy / Q000379:methods*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D057234:Preoperative Period; D012077:Renal Artery / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome