Renal artery stenosis in association with congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract

OBJECTIVES: To describe 8 cases of renal artery stenosis (RAS) in children with congenital anomalies of the renal tract.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 78 children with RAS who were followed up at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, United Kingdom between 2003 and 2012. We used an interventional radiology database to identify all patients who had RAS confirmed by digital subtraction angiography and examined all cases of congenital anomaly of the renal tract that had been diagnosed during childhood.

RESULTS: We documented the following renal anomalies: multicystic dysplastic kidney (n=2), renal hypoplasia (n=1), congenital solitary kidney with hydronephrosis (n=1), and unilateral vesicoureteric reflux with poorly functioning kidneys (n=2). The anomaly was unknown in 2 cases. Seven children had unilateral nephrectomy at a median age of 2.5 years (range, 0.4-10 years) for various urological abnormalities. All children were confirmed to have RAS after presentation with hypertension at a median age of 10 (3.5-16.2) years. Angioplasty was performed in 7 children, of which 6 achieved control of their blood pressure on reduced medications.

CONCLUSION: We highlight the association between RAS and other renal anomalies, which indicates that they could share a common genetic background.