Determination of plasma renin activity in renal veins of kidney graft recipients.

Renal vein plasma renin activity (PRA) was examined in 10 cadaver kidney recipients with graft artery stenosis detected by angiography in 8 of them. A significantly higher PRA in the graft versus the autologous renal veins occurred only in 1 patient: 4 patients showed significantly higher PRA values in autologous renal veins and 4 showed only insignificant differences. In 1 patient PRA could be determined only in the graft vein. Bilateral autologous nephrectomy was performed in 2 patients. The effect of surgery on hypertension agreed with the results of PRA determination. Renal Vein PRA is a valuable criterion in the indication for surgery. In some patients its determination does not help to decide whether the causative factor of hypertension is the graft or autologous kidneys.