Learn about what happens when the arteries leading to the kidneys narrow, as well as treatments for this condition.
Update Date: 12.07.2025
Renal artery stenosis is when one or more arteries that carry blood to the kidneys narrow. These are called the renal arteries.
Having narrowed renal arteries means the kidneys don't get enough oxygen-rich blood. The kidneys need enough blood flow to help filter waste products and remove excess fluids. Less blood flow to the kidneys may injure kidney tissue and raise blood pressure throughout the body.
Renal artery stenosis often doesn't cause symptoms until it's advanced. A healthcare professional may find the condition while testing for something else. Or your healthcare professional may suspect the condition if you have:
As renal artery stenosis advances, other signs and symptoms may include:
Make an appointment with your healthcare professional if you have lasting symptoms that worry you.
The two main causes of renal artery stenosis include:
Buildup on kidney arteries, also called renal arteries. Fats, cholesterol and other substances, called plaques, can build up in and on the kidney artery walls. This is called atherosclerosis.
As the buildup grows, the plaque can harden. That lowers blood flow and causes kidney scarring. In time, the plaque narrows the artery. Atherosclerosis happens in many areas of the body. It's the most common cause of renal artery stenosis.
Fibromuscular dysplasia. In fibromuscular dysplasia, the muscle in the artery wall doesn't grow as it should. This often begins in childhood. The renal artery can have narrow sections and wider sections. This looks like beads in images of the artery.
The renal artery can narrow so much that the kidney doesn't get enough blood. This can lead to high blood pressure at a young age. This can happen in one or both kidneys.
Experts don't know what causes fibromuscular dysplasia. But the condition is more common in people assigned female at birth. It may be present at birth, called congenital.
Most often, renal artery stenosis results from narrowed kidney arteries. Risk factors for narrowed arteries in the kidneys and other parts of the body include:
Possible complications of renal artery stenosis include:
To diagnose renal artery stenosis, your healthcare professional may start with:
Your healthcare professional might order the following imaging tests:
Renal arteriography. This special type of X-ray exam helps find the blockage in the renal arteries. Sometimes, a healthcare professional uses this to open the narrowed part with a balloon or small tube, called a stent.
Before the X-ray, a member of your healthcare team puts a dye into the renal arteries through a long, thin tube, called a catheter. This is to outline the arteries and show blood flow more clearly. This test mainly is for people who are likely to need to have a stent widen an artery.
Treatment for renal artery stenosis may involve lifestyle changes, medicine and a procedure to restore blood flow to the kidneys. If your arteries are not blocked, you may not need treatment.
If your blood pressure is too high, lifestyle changes may help manage your blood pressure. This includes limiting salt, eating healthy foods and moving more.
Medicine can often treat high blood pressure linked to renal artery stenosis. It may take time and patience to find the right medicine or mix of medicines.
Medicines that often treat high blood pressure linked with renal artery stenosis and may keep kidney disease from getting worse include:
If atherosclerosis is the cause of renal artery stenosis, your healthcare professional also may suggest that you take aspirin and a cholesterol-lowering medicine.
Some people may have a procedure to restore blood flow through the renal artery. Called renal angioplasty, this improves blood flow to the kidney.
This procedure may be for people who don't do well on medicine alone, who can't take medicine, who often retain fluids or who have heart failure that's hard to treat.
Procedures to treat renal artery stenosis may include:
Renal artery bypass surgery. During a bypass procedure, a surgeon adds another blood vessel to the renal artery to make a new route for blood to reach the kidneys. This may mean joining the renal artery to a vessel from elsewhere in the body, such as the liver or spleen.
Surgeons do this procedure mainly if angioplasty doesn't work or when there's a need for more surgical procedures.
As a part of your treatment plan for renal artery stenosis, your healthcare professional may suggest these lifestyle changes:
For renal artery stenosis, you may start by seeing your main healthcare professional. Your healthcare professional may send you to a doctor who specializes in conditions that affect the kidneys, called a nephrologist, or a heart and blood vessel specialist, called a cardiologist.
Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment.
Ask a family member or friend to go with you to help you gather what you learn.
Make a list of:
For renal artery stenosis, basic questions to ask include:
Be sure to ask all the questions you have.
Your healthcare professional is likely to ask you questions, such as:
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