Comparing the Efficacy of Renal Artery Denervation in Uncontrolled Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

The study aims to compare the outcomes of different renal denervation (RDN) procedures in the treatment of uncontrolled hypertension. We searched Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane for RCTs evaluating different procedures of RDN for hypertension. The outcomes of this study were systolic blood pressure (SBP) daytime, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) daytime, SBP nighttime, DBP nighttime, SBP 24-hour, DBP 24-hour, SBP home, DBP home, SBP office, and DBP office. We did a frequentist network meta-analysis of 38 published RCTs evaluating the efficacy of different renal artery denervation procedures for uncontrolled hypertension compared to sham procedures or standardized stepped-care antihypertensive treatment (SSAHT). Radiofrequency (RF) alone showed a statistically significant reduction in DBP (24 hours), DBP (daytime), and DBP (nighttime): standardized mean difference (SMD): -2.01 (95% CI: (-3.34; -0.68)), SMD: -4.36 (95% CI: (-8.28; -0.44)), and SMD: -3.50 (95% CI: (-6.23; -0.76)), respectively, and showed a statistically significant reduction in SBP (24 hours), SBP (daytime), and SBP (nighttime): SMD: -3.93 (95% CI: (-6.01; -1.84)), SMD: -5.88 (95% CI: (-9.91; -1.85)), and SMD: -5.79 (95% CI: (-10.0; -1.58)), respectively. RF added to SSAHT has statistical significance in the reduction of DBP (nighttime), SBP (daytime), SBP (home), and SBP (nighttime) with a SMD of -7.63 (95% CI: (-14.21; -1.06)), SMD of -10.56 (95% CI: (-21.03; -0.08)), SMD of -23.20 (95% CI: (-36.72; -9.26)), and SMD of -14.03 (95% CI: (-25.43; -2.63)), respectively. We found that renal denervation, especially by RF, when added to SSAHT may be a promising therapeutic option for patients with treatment-resistant hypertension, particularly in cases where medication alone fails to achieve adequate blood pressure control.