Purpose: The authors report their experience with implantation of self-expandable stents into renal arteries.
Patients and methods: Twenty-five Wallstent endoprostheses were deployed into 18 renal arteries in 18 patients. Atheroma was the cause of the initial renal artery lesion in 15 patients (four ostial, 10 postostial, and one long occlusion). In these 15 patients, indications for stent placement were 12 immediate failures of percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA), two immediate PTRA complications (dissections), and one recurrent stenosis. The other renal artery lesions were three dissections (two spontaneous and one after catheterization).
Results: The procedure was technically successful in all patients, with residual stenosis less than 20%. However, five stents were slightly misplaced and a second stent was implanted to fully cover the lesion. Three complications occurred: one acute thrombosis 15 days after stent implantation that was successfully treated with local fibrinolysis, one asymptomatic occlusion due to early thrombosis or to delayed restenosis, and one segmental renal infarction related to extensive dissection after PTRA and not to stent placement. Following stent implantation, systolic blood pressure (P = .006) and diastolic blood pressure (P = .002) measured at 6 months decreased significantly. Angiographic follow-up was obtained in 16 patients (with intravenous technique in nine and intraarterial digital subtraction angiography in seven) at a mean of 11 months after stent placement, and ultrasonographic follow-up was obtained in the two others after 8 and 25 months, respectively. A normal patent renal artery was demonstrated in 16 patients (89%); there was one restenosis with a 75% reduction in diameter of the renal artery and the asymptomatic occlusion above mentioned.
Conclusion: Self-expandable stent implantation is a promising technique in PTRA failures. Wallstent placement is technically feasible. Immediate results were satisfactory and the midterm restenosis rate was low in this series of patients.