Renal haemodynamic in essential hypertension assessed by 133-Xenon washout and selective renal angiography.

The renal and intrarenal haemodynamic pattern in 17 patients with essential hypertension of different severity and duration was studied by means of the 133-Xenon washout technique and the selective renal angiography. The mean and the cortical renal blood flows were on average significantly decreased as compared to the controls. A good agreement was found between the reduction in renal perfusion and the degree of vascular abnormalities as shown by angiography; on the contrary no correlation was found between the impairment in renal blood flow and the degree and/or duration of hypertension.