Renal artery stenosis in aortoarteritis: spectrum of disease in children and adults

Maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnant women with Takayasu aortoarteritis: Does optimally timed intervention in women with renal artery involvement improve pregnancy outcome?

OBJECTIVE

Takayasu aortoarteritis (TA) is common in the Southeast Asian and Indian subcontinent regions with a female-to-male ratio of 8:1. Age at diagnosis is < 30 years in 90% of the cases. Because the disease is common in women of child-bearing age, management of pregnancy in these patients becomes an important issue. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnancies with TA and also to evaluate whether early intervention for renal artery involvement is associated with improved outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We collected data of 12 patients with 18 pregnancies prospectively from 2006 to 2012. The patients were divided into three groups and their outcomes were noted: (1) without renal artery involvement; (2) with renal artery involvement without intervention; and (3) with renal artery involvement for which intervention has been done.

RESULTS

Body mass index of patients was between 18.5 kg/m(2) and 23.2 kg/m(2). Renal artery involvement and hypertension were seen in four patients. One patient had percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty and another had renal artery stenting. In patients without renal artery involvement, gestational hypertension was seen in 50%, pre-eclampsia in 10%, abortion in 10%, and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) in 40% of pregnancies. In patients with renal artery involvement without intervention, gestational hypertension was seen in 90%, pre-eclampsia in 20%, abortion in 60%, preterm in 20%, IUGR in 20%, fetal demise in 20%, and neonatal death in 20% of pregnancies. In patients with renal artery involvement for which intervention has been carried out, gestational hypertension was seen in 66%, and abortion and IUGR were seen in 33% of pregnancies.

CONCLUSION

Patients with renovascular involvement without intervention are at high risk of having maternal and fetal complications. Early intervention prior to conception in these women is recommended to prevent pregnancy complications.

Takayasu arteritis presenting with malignant hypertension; a rare manifestation of a rare disease: a case report and review of the literature

Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a chronic inflammatory and obliterative disease of large vessels, which mainly affects the aorta and its major branches. TA can lead to renal failure and renovascular hypertension in 60% of patients; it is rare in children aged <10 years and, more rarely, it presents with malignant hypertension in the paediatric age group. Here we present a case of 9-year-old boy with TA who presented with malignant hypertension and required surgical intervention to control the blood pressure. Subsequently, his medications were titrated using 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) and is doing well on follow-up.

Does this patient have hypertensive encephalopathy?

A 63-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for further investigation and management of brain metastases. The patient was initially presented with a 4-day history of confusion. On the day of admission, the patient was confused, agitated, disorientated in place and time, and had visual disturbances. His blood pressure was repeatedly recorded high, with levels of systolic blood pressure between 170-210 mm Hg. A brain magnetic resonance imaging showed areas of high signal on T2 and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images, located bilaterally in the white matter of the occipital regions and unilateral in the left frontal lobe, suggestive of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome. Aggressive treatment of hypertension resulted in complete resolution of the clinical and radiologic features of the syndrome.

Renal artery stenosis due to neurofibromatosis type 1: case report and literature review

Background

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a relatively common autosomal dominant disorder. The most common vascular abnormality in patients with NF1 is bilateral or unilateral renal artery stenosis.

Case report

A 16-year-old boy presented with a headache of 4-year duration and was found to be moderately hypertensive. On physical examination, axillary freckling and multiple café-au-lait spots were revealed over the trunk, while numerous small nodules were palpable on the limbs. Biopsy of subcutaneous nodule showed neurofibroma. Lisch nodules were identified on slit-lamp examination and grade I hypertensive retinopathy was present on fundoscopy. Clinical laboratory investigations revealed that renal and liver function tests, blood cells count, urinalysis, serum electrolytes, serum levels of renin and aldosterone, and 24-hour urine levels of catecholamines were all within normal ranges. Abdominal ultrasound and CT were normal. Both kidneys were of normal size. CT angiography showed right renal artery stenosis (>90%) at the ostium. The final diagnosis of NF1 with right renal artery stenosis and secondary hypertension was then made. The patient was treated with Procardin (30 mg/d) and improved with a significant decline in blood pressure. The main outcomes were to control blood pressure without necessarily proceeding with PTRA. We also present a review of the literature.

Conclusions

NF1 may present with hypertension due to renal artery stenosis in children. All young patients (<30 year) with hypertension should be clinically screened for secondary causes of hypertension, including NF1, so that renal revascularization can be offered before permanent end organ damage has occurred. First-line management using medication alone could be appropriate, keeping the interventional options for when the patient's condition deteriorates.

Takayasu arteritis as a cause of arterial hypertension. Case report and literature review

We report a 16-year-old girl in whom Takayasu arteritis (TA) was manifested mainly by severe arterial hypertension on her right arm, which was detected during a routine examination at school. Her systolic blood pressure on the right arm was significantly higher than that on the left one. There was also a pressure difference between the right arm and legs. The pulse of the left external carotid artery and that of the left radial artery was absent. Vascular bruits over interscapular and right supra- and subclavian areas were heard on auscultation. The diagnosis of TA was confirmed by a spiral computed tomography angiography, which showed a thickened thoracic aortic wall and narrowing of its lumen. In addition, complete occlusion of the left common carotid artery and the left subclavian artery was observed.

CONCLUSION

The rarity of the disorder and the heterogeneous nature of its clinical manifestation predispose to a late diagnosis and delayed treatment. Our report highlights the fact that the condition can and does occur in a pediatric population in Europe and hence must be considered in patients presenting with suggestive symptoms and signs, especially in young patients with unexplained hypertension. Clinical suspicion and proper imaging are crucial for the correct diagnosis and management of patients with TA. A brief review of literature completes this report.

Renal artery stenosis due to neurofibromatosis

A 4-year-old boy with hypertension due to renal artery stenosis and neurofibromatosis type 1 is presented for its rarity. Renal artery stenosis due to neurofibromatosis is underrecognized and may masquerade Takayasu’s arteritis in Asian children.

Imaging in the evaluation of renovascular disease

Renovascular disease (RVD) is an important cause of hypertension in children, as it often is amenable to potentially curative treatment. Imaging aimed at finding RVD therefore needs to have high sensitivity so as not to miss important findings. Digital subtraction angiography is the gold standard investigation. Doppler ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT) angiography and magnetic resonance (MR) angiography can all be helpful, but none has, at present, high enough sensitivity to rule out RVD in a child with a suggestion of that diagnosis.

Pre- and postcaptopril renal scintigraphy as a screening test for renovascular hypertension in children

We studied the ability of pre- and postcaptopril renal scintigraphy to predict renovascular disease (RVD) in children. Retrospective review of medical notes and radiology reports of all hypertensive children who had had both pre- and postcaptopril renal scintigraphy with [(99m)Tc] dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) and/or [(99m)Tc] mercaptoacetyltriglycine (MAG3) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA). 81 children aged 1-18 (median 10) years were studied with 62% (51) having a diagnosis of RVD. Main renal artery disease, intrarenal disease, and both main and intrarenal artery disease were present in 25, 14, and 12 patients respectively. The isotope study accurately diagnosed RVD, confirmed by DSA, in 47% (24 of 51) children, with eight false positive studies. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the isotope study to predict RVD were 48%, 73%, 76%, and 51%, respectively. Pre- and postcaptopril renal scintigraphy was unable to predict RVD in children.

A rare cause of renovascular hypertension: Takayasu arteritis with only renal artery involvement

Takayasu arteritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects mainly the aorta, main branches of aorta, and pulmonary arteries with unknown etiology. Disease affecting solely the renal arteries is rare. We will present a case that had hypertension, hypokalemia, and metabolic alkalosis where the etiology was type 2 Takayasu arteritis, affecting renal arteries.

Renovascular hypertension in children

Renovascular disease is an uncommon but important cause of hypertension in children. It is usually diagnosed after a long delay because blood pressure is infrequently measured in children and high values are generally dismissed as inaccurate. Many children with renovascular disease have abnormalities of other blood vessels (aorta, cerebral, intestinal, or iliac). Individuals suspected of having the disorder can be investigated further with CT, MRI, or renal scintigraphy done before and after administration of an angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor, but angiography is still the gold standard. Most children with renovascular disease will need interventional or surgical treatment. Endovascular treatment with or without stenting will cure or reduce high blood pressure in more than half of all affected children. Surgical intervention, if needed, should be delayed preferably until an age when the child is fully grown. Modern treatment provided by a multidisciplinary team of paediatric nephrologists, interventional radiologists, and vascular surgeons offers good long-term treatment results.

Cutting Balloon Angioplasty in Children with Resistant Renal Artery Stenosis

Children with systemic hypertension resulting from a renovascular stenosis commonly have fibromuscular dysplasia and respond to percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA). There is a subset of children, however, with conditions that appear to be resistant to PTRA (eg, syndromic renal artery stenosis and arteritis). These patients are often treated surgically. The development of the cutting balloon may provide a minimally invasive alternative to surgery in these individuals. Associated adverse events may include recurrent stenosis, arterial occlusion with renal loss, and arterial rupture with extravasation and pseudoaneurysm formation. Some of these adverse events can be successfully treated with percutaneous interventional techniques. The authors present four cases of cutting balloon angioplasty performed at two large metropolitan children's hospitals in children with resistant renal artery stenosis.

Spectrum of radiological changes in hypertensive children with reversible posterior leucoencephalopathy

We prospectively studied 19 children with severe hypertension to evaluate the spectrum of radiological changes, severity and reversibility of this entity. All of them were subjected to clinical and biochemical evaluation, followed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). Headache was seen in 17 children, 13 had confusion and drowsiness, 12 had nausea and vomiting, 10 patients had visual disturbances, seizure and dyspnoea. Only two had focal neurological deficit (one with right facial palsy and another with right lateral rectus palsy). Of these 19 children, 15 patients had hypertensive retinopathy and four had normal fundi. The positive MRI findings in 17/19 patients were: bilateral leukoencephalopathic changes in occipitoparietal region (9/17), diffuse white/grey matter lesion (3/17) patients, brain stem hyperintensity (2/17) and haemorrhagic lesions (3/17). On MRA, 12/19 patients had attenuation of cerebral arteries of different degree. On follow up, MRI findings resolved in all except three patients. All patients had normal MRA on follow up, except one with persistent minimal attenuation of middle cerebral artery and another had spasm in anterior, middle and posterior cerebral arteries. The intracranial abnormalities in these patients with severe hypertension were reversible in many of the cases after control of blood pressure was achieved. We therefore conclude that severe hypertension may lead to leuoencephalopathy, which had a wide radiological spectrum. A better understanding of this complex syndrome may obviate unnecessary investigations and allow management of associated problems in prompt and appropriate ways.

Treatment of severe renal artery stenosis by percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty and stent implantation: review of the pediatric experience: apropos of two cases

The clinical course of two children with mid-aortic syndrome and renal artery stenosis (RAS) who suffered from severe arterial hypertension is described. Hypertension was uncontrollable by antihypertensive medication and was managed by percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA) with stent implantation. The pediatric experience with PTRA is limited, and there are only few cases reported with additional stent implantation. Complications of these procedures are well known from experience with adult patients. However, since surgical revascularization may be technically difficult especially in small children, PTRA with or without stenting should be considered as a valuable treatment option in pediatric RAS.

Surgical and radiological management of renovascular hypertension in a developing country

PURPOSE

We determined the long-term outcome of radiological and surgical intervention in young patients with renovascular hypertension.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between 1989 and 2001, 85 patients with a mean age +/- SD of 21 +/- 10.3 years, including 59 with Takayasu's arteritis (TA) and 26 with fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD), underwent radiological (percutaneous transluminal angioplasty) or surgical treatment for renovascular hypertension due to renal artery stenosis. The technical success, complications and clinical response of each treatment were compared.

RESULTS

Of the patients 29 with TA and 20 with FMD underwent a total of 56 balloon angioplasties. Technical success was achieved in 94.58 renal units with a clinical response in 41 patients (83.9%). However, the re-stenosis rate was 24.13% in TA and 10% in FMD cases. A total of 41 surgical procedures were performed in the 28 and 7 patients with TA and FMD, respectively, including aortorenal bypass with vein in 12, and with a polytetrafluoroethylene graft in 4, lienorenal bypass in 4, iliorenal bypass in 2, gastroduodenal bypass in 1, autotransplantation in 1, nephrectomy in 14 and partial nephrectomy in 2. The clinical response rate to renal revascularization procedures was 94.4%, whereas it was only 50.0% for nephrectomy/partial nephrectomy during a median followup of 42 months (range 9 to 96).

CONCLUSIONS

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and renal revascularization provide comparable long-term results in the management of renal artery stenosis due to TA and FMD. Although it is technically complex, surgery for TA is safe and effective. However, the rate of re-stenosis following angioplasty for TA is higher compared with FMD.

Aspirin renography in the diagnosis of renovascular hypertension: a comparative study with captopril renography

Captopril renography is used for the non-invasive diagnosis of renovascular hypertension, but suffers from the drawbacks of lower sensitivity and false-positive tests due to a fall in blood pressure. Aspirin renography has been proposed as a useful test for evaluation of unilateral renal artery stenoses of moderate degree. We studied the clinical usefulness of aspirin renography in 12 patients with a clinical suspicion of renovascular hypertension and compared it with captopril renography using 99Tcm-DTPA. The test was considered positive if there were changes in the time-activity curve according to the criteria specified by the American Society of Hypertension Working Group. Four patients with discordant results between captopril and aspirin underwent intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography. In two patients, the renal arteries were normal; captopril was false-positive in both these patients. Bilateral stenosis was noted in the third patient, with captopril being false-negative on the right side with moderate stenosis, whereas aspirin was true-positive. There was unilateral stenosis in the fourth patient; captopril was false-positive on the contralateral side. Our results suggest that aspirin renography is superior to captopril renography in the assessment of patients with a suspicion of both unilateral and bilateral renovascular hypertension.