Percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA) as a method of therapy for renovascular hypertension in children.

The results of PTRA in treatment of renovascular hypertension in four children aged 5, 7, 13 and 15 are presented. All patients suffered from severe hypertension. Tests showed all of them to have fibromuscular dysplasia stenosis of the main renal artery and significant lateralization of renin levels. One suffered from associated polycystosis of kidneys and in another the renal artery stenosis was bilateral. In all patients successful patency was achieved. In one patient, the arterial pressure after PTRA was normalized, while in the others it was considerably improved. Two patients, tested 8 and 12 months after PTRA, were lost to further follow-up. In one of the remaining two, stenosis and hypertension reappeared 5 years after PTRA. After autotransplantation the patient was normotensive. In the other, also 5 years later, recurrent hypertension appeared related to the associated polycystosis.