Errors in renal vein renin collections.

Abstract

Two patients in whom renal vein renin determinations were made illustrate 2 of the 3 errors of sampling which may give false-negative results: (1) failure to collect samples from the appropriate tributary or accessory vessel involved in the disease; (2) failure to be selective in the renal vein beyond tributaries from nonrenal sources (e.g., the adrenal vein or the gonadal vein); and (3) failure to withdraw the renal vein samples slowly (especially in cases of reduced renal blood flow).Because the presence of positive selective renal vein renins can predict a successful surgical outcome in 85 per cent of the cases of renovascular hypertension, it is essential to collect the venous samples accurately when attempting to distinguish between surgically curable and noncurable forms of hypertension. The described techniques are safe, reliable and easy. The importance of anatomic variations and precise sampling sites is stressed.