Pharmacologic probes to identify patients with renovascular hypertension.

The renin-angiotensin system has been shown to play a significant role in maintaining blood pressure and sodium balance in health and disease states. The development of various pharmacologic probes that inhibit the RAS at different and specific points in the renin-angiotensin cascade has facilitated the elucidation of the role of angiotensin II in renovascular hypertension. In a clinical regard, inhibitors of the RAS have been instrumental in screening patients for renovascular hypertension, and in predicting curability with a high degree of reliability. Moreover, use of these drugs in an out-patient setting has been determined to be safe, practical, and reliable, making the work-up for renin-dependent hypertension cost effective and accurate.