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VASCULAR SURGERY
Renal Artery Bypass for Stenosis or Aneurysm
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Conditions such as high blood pressure or kidney failure may be due to narrowing of the renal arteries (kidney arteries). When blood flow is normal through the kidneys, wastes are filtered out into the urine, which then is collected in the bladder, and exit the body when people urinate. The kidneys help control blood pressure by secreting a hormone called renin into the bloodstream. The amount of renin secreted by kidneys can help change the blood pressure if it is too high or too low. When the kidney arteries narrow, the kidneys are less able to function. Renal artery stenosis is the term for narrowing of kidney arteries and this condition may cause high blood pressure, and may eventually lead to kidney failure. Discovering renal artery stenoses can be done by techniques such as MRI and/or CT scanning or an angiogram.
Two surgical procedures that your physician may use to treat renal artery stenosis are endarterectomy and surgical bypass. In a renal endarterectomy, the vascular surgeon removes the inner lining of the renal artery which contains the plaque. Removal of the plaque leaves a smooth, wide-open artery.
More commonly, bypass surgery is done, which creates a detour around the narrowed sections of renal artery. To create this bypass, the surgeon connects a piece of harvested vein or a tube made from man-made materials above and below the area that is narrowed. This creates a new path for blood to flow to the kidneys.
The choice of the procedure that is best for each situation depends upon the extent and location of the blockages. Our physicians will advise you as to which procedure is best for your particular situation.
Key Advantages:
- Creates a long-lasting improvement in flow to the kidneys, usually reducing or eliminating high blood pressure
- Reduces the need, or amounts of high blood pressure pills taken
- May improve the function and life of the kidney reducing the possible future need for dialysis
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