Surgical treatment of renovascular hypertension: a 10-year review.

Follow-up evaluation of 44 patients operated upon for renovascular hypertension between Jan. 1, 1969 and Dec. 31, 1978 indicated a 50% rate of cure, a 43% rate of improvement and a 2% operative mortality. The prognosis is much better for younger patients; for those under 35 years of age the cure rate was 100%. The renal vein renin level, although it is a measure of ischemic renovascular hypertension is not a precise criterion for predicting the results of surgical treatment.