Renal Sympathetic Denervation and Potential Effects on Glucose Metabolism and Cardiovascular Risk-Factors

This is a mini-invasive trans-catheter procedure with access via a 6F introducer in one of the femoral arteries. The renal sympathetic nerves arise from T10-L2, arborize around the renal artery and primarily lie within the adventitia. A specialized radiofrequency (RF) ablation catheter is introduced into the renal arteries, first one side, then on the other. Usually, 4-6 two-minute treatments per artery using a proprietary RF generator with automated low power and built-in safety algorithms are sufficient to ablate the sympathetic afferent and efferent fibers.