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Renal Denervation Therapy for Drug-Resistant Hypertension: Does It Still Work?

  • Coronary Artery Disease (D Feldman and V Voudris, Section Editors)
  • Published:
Current Treatment Options in Cardiovascular Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Opinion statement

Hypertension is a global public health problem affecting one-fourth of the world’s population. A subset of these patients with resistant hypertension presents a particular management problem and suffers a marked increase in cardiovascular risk. Treatment options have been limited, but the past decade has witnessed the emergence of catheter-based renal denervation to interrupt the sympathetic nervous system, long considered to play an important role in the development and maintenance of hypertension. Phase 1 and 2 studies reported remarkable reductions in blood pressure and sparked an excessive exuberance that ground to a halt with negative results of the SYMPLICITY HTN-3 pivotal trial. The subsequent and sober reappraisal has shed light on potential failure modes. Armed with appropriately cautious optimism, the field has resumed its move forward to realize the potential for therapeutic application in hypertension and other conditions characterized by sympathetic overactivity. This article summarizes the rich experimental data, early surgical experience, and available clinical trial results for catheter platforms. It concludes with discussion of knowledge gaps, lessons learned, and future directions.

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References and Recommended Reading

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MedStar Heart and Vascular Institute, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC, USA

    Venkatesh K. Raman MD

  2. 1st Cardiology Clinic, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hippokration Hospital, Athens, Greece

    Costas Tsioufis MD

  3. Veterans Affairs Medical Center and George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

    Michael Doumas MD

  4. Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Michael Doumas MD

  5. Department of Veterans Affairs and Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA

    Vasilios Papademetriou MD

Authors
  1. Venkatesh K. Raman MD
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  2. Costas Tsioufis MD
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  3. Michael Doumas MD
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  4. Vasilios Papademetriou MD
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Correspondence to Vasilios Papademetriou MD.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Coronary Artery Disease

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Raman, V.K., Tsioufis, C., Doumas, M. et al. Renal Denervation Therapy for Drug-Resistant Hypertension: Does It Still Work?. Curr Treat Options Cardio Med 19, 39 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11936-017-0536-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11936-017-0536-4

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