Salvage of the solitary kidney by insertion of a renal artery stent

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the use of renal artery stents in the solitary functioning kidney of patients who have impaired renal function as a result of atherosclerotic renovascular disease by assessing primary patency, renal function outcome, and complication rates during a mean follow-up period of 15 months. MATERIALS AND METHODS. The Palmaz stent was placed in the arteries of 21 patients with solitary functioning kidneys. All patients had impaired renal function (creatinine level >150 mu mol/l), and four patients were undergoing renal dialysis. Indications for stenting were recoil after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (rt = 12), arterial dissection after angioplasty (n = 2), restenosis after angioplasty (n = 1), and as the primary intervention (rt = 6). Follow-up angiography was performed in 16 patients (76%). RESULTS. Initial technical success was achieved in all patients (residual stenosis, <5%). At follow-up (range, 6-25 months), renal function had returned to normal in five patients (24%), improved in four patients (19%), stabilized in six patients (29%), and deteriorated in six patients (29%). Dialysis has been discontinued in all four dialysis patients. Major complications occurred in four patients (19%), including one death within 30 days of stenting. No significant restenoses were seen on follow-up angiography. CONCLUSION. Placement of renal artery stents in the solitary kidney led to benefits in 70% of patients treated, including improved renal function in nine patients (43%) and stabilization in six patients (29%). In this high-risk group of patients, we advocate renal artery stenting as a relatively safe procedure to salvage the solitary kidney.