Dynamics of diurnal profile of arterial blood pressure after sympathetic denervation of the renal arteries

The aim of the study was to elucidate the effect of sympathetic denervation of the renal arteries on a daily blood pressure (BP) profile. The study included 29 patients who underwent radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the renal arteries as a treatment of stage II-III drug-resistant essential hypertension (EH). White coat hypertension was present in all patients prior to the treatment. Analysis of data showed that the initially high BP levels, recorded during the ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, were a predictor of a more pronounced hypotensive effect of the intervention. White coat hypertension, a sign of a hyperactive sympathetic nervous system, disappeared after RFA procedure suggesting a decrease in overall sympathetic tone in the body resulting in lowering systemic BP.