Abstract 287: Radiofrequency Renal Nerve Ablation Attenuates Hypertension in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR)

Radiofrequency catheter ablation (RF-ABL) of the renal arteries decreases blood pressure in patients with drug-resistant hypertension. This study investigated whether RF-ABL of the renal arteries alters blood pressure (BP) in an animal model of essential hypertension, the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR). Methods Nineteen-week old male SHR were instrumented with radio-telemetry probes for chronic measurement of BP (Systolic, SBP; Diastolic, DBP). After 1-week, control BP was measured in rats for 3 days. The next day SHR were anesthetized and randomly received either bilateral Sham-ABL (n=5) or RF-ABL (n=6) of the renal arteries (Biosense Webster Stockert 70 generator and RF-probe). The tip of the RF-probe was applied externally to a small dissected segment of each renal artery and stimulated circumferentially (10 Watts). BP was then measured three times a week for 8 weeks. Results In anesthetized hypertensive SHR, RF-ABL of a single renal artery did not alter BP. In contrast, subsequent RF-ABL of the contralateral renal artery produced an immediate ( Conclusions These data demonstrate that in hypertensive SHR, bilateral RF-ABL of the renal arteries produces, presumably via blockade of renal sympathetic afferent/efferent neural pathways, a reduction in BP, which by 4-weeks is reset to a lower basal level. These findings indicate that RF-ABL can be used in rodents to investigate the therapeutic mechanisms by which endovascular renal denervation reduces blood pressure in hypertension.