AJP - Heart and Circulatory Physiology, Vol 249, Issue 5 956-H967, Copyright © 1985 by American Physiological Society
Systemic and renal hemodynamic changes during acute unilateral renal arterial stenosis
W. P. Anderson, R. L. Kline and R. L. Woods
The acute effects of unilateral renal arterial stenosis on systemic and
renal hemodynamics were studied in chronically instrumented, conscious
dogs. Graded stenosis of one renal artery for 90 min produced graded
increases in arterial blood pressure and plasma renin activity and falls in
contralateral renal blood flow and total peripheral conductance. There were
no significant changes in cardiac output. The changes were transient after
mild or moderate renal arterial stenosis but were sustained after severe
stenosis. Pentolinium treatment did not significantly affect the
hypertension or contralateral renal vasoconstriction caused by moderate or
severe renal arterial stenosis. This indicates that the autonomic nervous
system did not play a major role in the response to stenosis. In contrast,
teprotide abolished the increases in arterial pressure, the contralateral
renal vasoconstriction, and the fall in total peripheral conductance in
response to stenosis. Thus the acute hypertension following unilateral
renal arterial stenosis was due to a decrease in total peripheral
conductance caused by decreased conductance of the stenotic kidney due to
the stenosis itself (about 20%); vasoconstriction of the contralateral
kidney (about 20%), and vasoconstriction of other systemic vasculature
(about 60%). The results suggest that angiotensin II was responsible for
the vasoconstriction of both the contralateral kidney and the other
systemic vasculature.
