Renal artery stenosis: screening, diagnostic and therapeutic options

Hypertension is a frequent disease and renal artery stenosis, as a potential cause of hypertension, can be cured. Therefore, we frequently need to exclude a renal artery stenosis in patients with hypertension in our daily routine. This calls for a screening procedure which is non-invasive, highly effective and not too expensive. This paper describes the advantages and limitations of colour Doppler ultrasound in diagnosing renal artery stenosis. Colour Doppler ultrasound with intrarenal Doppler analysis is an ideal tool in the screening for relevant renal artery stenosis in patients with hypertension. This technique, however, requires a careful approach and extrarenal abnormalities need to be considered.