Percutaneous cutting balloon angioplasty for the treatment of renovascular hypertension in children and adolescents

Objective: Percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA), the recommended treatment in children with renovascular hypertension (RVH), often has unsatisfactory outcomes. Cutting balloons may improve the results of angioplasty in different vascular beds with complex and resistant lesions. We retrospectively analysed the effects of percutaneous cutting balloon angioplasty (PCBA) on blood pressure, cardiac mass and renal artery acceleration time in children/adolescents referred to our centre for RVH. Patients and methods: Thirteen patients (aged 9-19 years) with renal artery stenosis (RAS) and severe hypertension were identified. RASs were focal fibromuscular (FMD) or FMD-like dysplasia (in six cases bilateral, in five associated with mid aortic syndrome). Ten patients had uncontrolled hypertension, in nine cases associated with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Acceleration time was abnormal in all stenotic arteries. Eighteen PCBA were performed, in three arteries associated with stent implantation. Results: PCBA was technically successful in all individuals without major complications. In one patient, an intra-stent restenosis occurred, successfully redilated with conventional angioplasty without recurrence at 4 years distance. One year after PCBA, mean SBP and DBPs were markedly reduced from 146 +/- 25 to 121 +/- 10 mmHg and from 87 +/- 11 to 65 +/- 12 mmHg, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). At that time, hypertension was cured in seven children and controlled in five individuals. This favourable outcome was confirmed with ambulatory blood pressure measurement in four patients. At the latest follow-up, left ventricular mass and acceleration time were normal in all patients. Conclusion: PCBA proved to be a well tolerated and effective procedure that can be considered as an alternative to PTRA to treat hypertensive children/adolescents with recurrent or resistant RAS.