Continuous recording of muscle nerve sympathetic activity during percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in renovascular hypertension in man.

The aim of this study was to record sympathetic outflow in man during percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA) as reflected by muscle nerve sympathetic activity and arterial plasma noradrenaline. Nine patients with hypertension and unilateral renal artery stenosis underwent PTRA by the Gruntzig technique and simultaneous microelectrode recording of muscle nerve sympathetic activity in the peroneal nerve. Blood pressure and heart rate were recorded and blood specimens were drawn for determination of noradrenaline and plasma renin activity (PRA)