Curable Hypertension with Unilateral Hydronephrosis

Among eight patients with unilateral hydronephrosis and hypertension, peripheral plasma renin activity was normal in seven and borderline high in one. Four patients had hydronephrotic/contralateral kidney renin ratios of greater than 1.5, suggesting excessive renin release from the diseased kidney, and ratios between contralateral kidney and peripheral blood of less than 1.2, indicating suppressed renin production in the contralateral kidney. Nephrectomy normalized blood pressure in each of these patients. Two patients had hydronephrotic/contralateral kidney renin ratios of less than or equal to 1.3 or contralateral kidney/periphery ratios of greater than 1.2, suggesting ischemia of the contralateral kidney; pyeloplasty or nephrectomy, or both, failed to improve the hypertension. Postoperative changes in blood pressure correlated with changes in peripheral renin (r = 0.90; P less than 0.01). These data suggest that hypertension associated with unilateral hydronephrosis is partly renin-dependent; and renal vein renin values are helpful in selecting patients for surgery.