Long-term follow-up of surgical renal hypertension

Role of laparoscopic nephrectomy for management of symptomatic nephrogenic hypertension

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the efficacy of laparoscopic nephrectomy for the management of hypertension associated with a unilateral poorly functioning kidney in adults and the role of some variables in the prediction of its outcome in the management of nephrogenic hypertension.

METHODS

We conducted this study on 22 hypertensive patients with a unilateral, minimally functioning kidney. We included patients with a well-functioned contralateral kidney, no renal tumors, no renovascular hypertension, and no diagnosis of end-stage renal disease. All patients had poorly controlled hypertension or preferred to discontinue medical therapy. Their age at the onset of hypertension, gender, age at laparoscopic nephrectomy, and the interval from diagnosis to intervention were evaluated. A complete response was defined as blood pressure normalization without medical treatment. A partial response was defined as a decrease in the medication requirements and/or a 10-mm Hg decrease in diastolic blood pressure after surgery. Measurement of plasma renin activity was not available in our country at the time of the study.

RESULTS

After nephrectomy, 12 (54.5%), 2 (9.1%), and 8 (36.4%) patients had a complete, partial, or no response to the surgery, respectively. No significant association was found between the response to laparoscopic nephrectomy and age, gender, and mean blood pressure. Only the hypertension-related signs and symptoms before surgery were significantly associated with the response to laparoscopic nephrectomy (P = 0.01) on both univariate and multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Nephrectomy seems effective for the management of nephrogenic hypertension in patients who wish to discontinue medical therapy. We suggest paying attention to the preoperative hypertension-related symptoms for the prediction of the response to nephrectomy.

Efficacy of Nephrectomy for the Treatment of Nephrogenic Hypertension in a Pediatric Population

PURPOSE

We evaluated the efficacy of nephrectomy for the management of nephrogenic hypertension in children.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the records of 320 children who underwent nephrectomy between 1991 and 2001, and 22 underwent nephrectomy for the management of hypertension. Of the 22 patients 16 (73%) had long-term followup, including 8 with end stage renal disease who were dialysis dependent, and 8 with normal renal function and unilateral parenchymal renal disease (UPRD). Within the UPRD group 3 patients had renovascular hypertension, 3 had reflux nephropathy, 1 had renal artery thrombosis and 1 had Page kidney. Age at hypertension onset, age at nephrectomy and elapsed time between diagnosis and intervention were studied. Antihypertensive medication requirements before surgery and after postoperative followup were evaluated to assess treatment efficacy. Complete success was defined as blood pressure normalization without antihypertensive requirements. Partial success was defined as decrease in medication requirements and/or discontinuation of minoxidil. Failure of treatment was defined as persistent hypertension, increased medication requirements or minoxidil dependence.

RESULTS

In the end stage renal disease group mean age at diagnosis was 5.9 years (range 15 months to 10 years) and bilateral nephrectomy was performed at a mean age of 8.9 years (19 months to 15 years) with average elapsed time between diagnosis of hypertension and nephrectomy of 3 years. After a mean followup of 4.4 years (range 6 months to 8 years) 7 patients (88%) experienced complete or partial success and nephrectomy management failed in 1. In the UPRD group average elapsed time was 2.2 years (range 1 month to 10 years) between a mean age at diagnosis of 6.7 years (birth to 16 years) and a mean age at nephrectomy of 8.9 years (1 month to 17 years). After a mean followup of 1.6 years (range 1 month to 5 years) complete or partial success was experienced by all 8 patients (100%). All 8 UPRD group patients experienced adequate residual renal function.

CONCLUSIONS

The vast majority of patients in both categories experienced complete or partial success from nephrectomy for the management of medication refractory hypertension. Nephrectomy for hypertension control is safe and effective, and obviates the need for morbid medications. We continue to accrue patients in a prospective manner.

Report of the Multicystic Kidney Registry: preliminary findings

Multicystic kidney was first described in a 7-month-old child. Some physicians advocate nephrectomy in such cases, while others have questioned this procedure. In 1986 the American Academy of Pediatrics, Section on Urology established the Multicystic Kidney Registry to identify and follow patients with multicystic kidney disease. To date 441 patients have been registered, of whom 260 were managed nonoperatively. Based on followup of these patients no kidneys were removed for hypertension, infection, pain or tumor development. Long-term findings show that multicystic kidney disease may take as long as 20 years to resolve, and followup testing will be necessary.

Multicystic dysplastic kidney: is nephrectomy still appropriate?

We analyzed 25 cases of multicystic kidney to assess the impact of prenatal diagnosis on the management of this condition. The incidence of unilateral multicystic kidney was 1 in 4,300 live births. Of the 23 children with unilateral multicystic kidneys only 3 (13 per cent) had a readily palpable lesion. These findings suggest that multicystic kidney is a more common renal anomaly than was previously recognized and that the majority of cases remained undiagnosed before the advent of prenatal diagnosis. Ultrasound re-evaluation in 11 children suggests that the natural history of multicystic kidneys is towards spontaneous involution. Two kidneys were not identifiable by followup ultrasound. Hypertension and malignancy complicating multicystic kidney are reported infrequently. The literature on hypertension does not generally support the view that multicystic kidney poses a significant risk of hypertension in later childhood or adult life. We believe that the routine removal of multicystic kidneys in infancy is no longer appropriate.