Objective: To assess the effectiveness of catheter-based renal denervation for reducing blood pressure in patients withresistant hypertension using a 5 F microtube-irrigated ablation catheter.Methods: Sixty patients with resistant hypertension were divided into two groups: a microtube-irrigated ablation catheter group and a general ablation catheter group. We conducted 12-month follow-up of all patients and recorded clinical blood pressure, ambulatory blood pressure, medication use, and biochemistry test results in both groups at the baseline and at the 12-month follow-up.Results: All patients underwent renal denervation. At the 6-month follow-up, ambulatory blood pressure in the microtube-irrigated ablation catheter group was significantly lower than in the general ablation catheter group (systolic blood pressure 142.0 ± 14.4 mmHg vs. 150.8 ± 17.9 mmHg, P = 0.04; diastolic blood pressure 81.2 ± 7.0 mmHg vs. 87.6 ± 8.0 mmHg, P = 0.002). At the 12-month follow-up, the between-group difference in ambulatory blood pressure was not statistically significant. At the 12-month follow-up, the number of antihypertensive drugs and diuretics used in the microtube-irrigated ablation catheter group was less than in the general ablation catheter group (P = 0.043). There was no statistical difference between the two groups in the results of biochemistry tests and echocardiography.Conclusion: The microtube-irrigated ablation catheter is more effective in treating hypertension than the generalablation catheter at the 6-month follow up and thus fewer antihypertensive drugs were used in the microtube-irrigatedablation catheter group than in the general ablation catheter group.
Renal denervation with standard radiofrequency ablation catheter is effective in 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure reduction – follow-up at 1/3/6/12 months
