The assessment and management of renal vascular hypertension after kidney transplantation.

The clinical setting that suggests transplant renal artery stenosis, its various forms, and the involvement of the renin-angiotensin system in its pathogenesis has been reviewed. Both captopril-enhanced renography and pulse duplex Doppler ultrasound are useful noninvasive screening tests for renal artery stenosis. Some form of angiography remains essential in defining the extent of the lesion and in planning therapy. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty is the first-line therapy for most cases. Open surgical repair provides the most definitive treatment but has greater morbidity. Medical therapy alone is appropriate in patients with significant chronic allograft rejection or other comorbidities that preclude intervention for the renal artery stenosis.