Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) is common and is associated with uncontrolled hypertension and renal excretory dysfunction. Percutaneous stenting of ARAS effectively relieves arterial obstruction, but approximately one-quarter of patients derives no apparent clinical benefit or actually suffers deterioration in renal excretory function. There are reasons to suspect that percutaneous renal intervention is associated with embolization of aorto-ostial atheromatous debris, which may lead to adverse clinical outcomes. There are no known clinical, imaging, or biochemical markers of renal embolism or ischemic necrosis. Investigational or clinical detection of such events might guide future modification of mechanical interventional technique, for example, with the introduction of procedural embolic protection devices.
This pilot study of patients undergoing percutaneous transluminal renal artery stenting (PTRAS) will attempt to image embolization using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
