Hypertension is a prevalent condition leading to cardiovascular adverse events
and mortality. Despite the pharmacologic treatments available, persistently elevated blood
pressure can be observed in a significant number of patients. Dysfunction of the
sympathetic nervous system plays an important role in hypertension. Radiofrequency
ablation can disrupt the sympathetic innervation localized in the adventitia of the renal
arteries, thus modulating the sympathetic nervous system. In this chapter sympathetic nerve
modulation will be discussed, including physiopathological considerations, technical
aspects and experience arising from animal and clinical studies.
Keywords: Animal models, arrhythmias, catheter-based, fibrosis,
hyperinsulinemia, hypertension, hypertensive heart disease, hypertrophy,
macroalbuminuria, metabolic syndrome, microalbuminuria, obstructive sleep
apnea, pathophysiology, renal denervation, renal function, resistant hypertension,
sympathetic hyperactivity, sympathetic nerve modulation, sympathetic nervous
system, sympathetic overdrive.
