Catheter-based renal sympathetic denervation for the treatment of resistant hypertension: first experience in Greece with significant ambulatory blood pressure reduction.

We describe the first two cases in Greece of catheter-based renal sympathetic denervation (RSD) by means of radiofrequency ablation. The procedure was performed on middle-aged men with long-standing resistant hypertension (office blood pressure, BP 195/115 mmHg and ambulatory BP 190/110 mmHg; office BP 170/95 mmHg and ambulatory BP 151/87 mmHg) under optimal medical therapy. The percutaneous RSD was completed successfully, and led to a significant reduction in both office and ambulatory BP at 3 weeks, with no vascular complications, while renal function remained unaltered. These cases of RSD suggest that renal nerve ablation for the treatment of resistant hypertension constitutes an effective and safe therapeutic modality, accompanied by significant reduction of ambulatory BP, and broadening of its clinical use in our country is of clinical importance.