How Is Renal Artery Stenosis Treated?

Renal Artery Bypass Surgery

Some individuals with severe cases of renal artery stenosis may need renal bypass surgery to treat the disease effectively. Usually, a renal angioplasty and stent placement is the next step taken when diet changes and medications prove to be ineffective. However, some renal artery stenosis patients have a renal artery that is too obstructed or blocked to undergo the placement of a stent. A renal artery bypass surgery allows the blood to redirect around the obstruction in one or more of the renal arteries. The bypass can be produced using a healthy vein from another region of the patient's body, or it can be made out of a synthetic artery. During the procedure, the surgeon identifies and removes a healthy vein from another part of the body (if they are not using a synthetic vein). The surgeon then uses stitches to connect one end of the synthetic or healthy vein to the aorta, femoral artery, or a healthy artery in the abdomen. The other end is then attached to the renal artery between the kidney and the obstruction. This mechanism allows for blood to flow freely around the blockage of the renal artery. Recovery for renal artery bypass surgery is between two and four weeks. However, the result is permanent and known to be very successful at treating renal artery stenosis.

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