Renal denervation: expanding the indication

Since the introduction of the Ardian renal denervation system in California in 2008, the uptake of the technology has been overwhelming, despite a relatively scarce amount of evidence. The benefit of renal denervation, however, may not be restricted to blood pressure lowering alone since several cardiovascular diseases are characterised by excessive central sympathetic drive1. An increasing body of evidence indicates that heart failure, diabetes and hyperinsulinaemia, chronic kidney disease, arrhythmias, and sleep apnoea syndrome are associated with increased sympathetic activity2. As renal denervation has been shown to reduce total body and muscle sympathetic nerve activity by targeting the afferent renal nerves, the expansion of the treatment indication seems intuitive. © 2013 Europa Digital & Publishing. All rights reserved.