Modification of the Howard Test for the Detection of Renal-Artery Obstruction

Abstract

IT has been known for many years that obstruction to one or both renal arteries in man could result in hypertension (the Goldblatt kidney). Many patients suspected of this disorder have, in the past, been subjected to nephrectomy, with little or no permanent improvement in their hypertension. This situation arose from the inadequacy of the diagnostic tools then available. With the development of aortography a more accurate diagnosis of arterial obstruction became possible, and consequently, in many patients, nephrectomy has been replaced by plastic surgery to the defective renal artery as the treatment of choice.Aortography can be hazardous, however, . . .