A 53-year-old mate was found to have hypertension caused by the significant
secretion of renin from an atrophic left kidney. He had undergone extracor
poreal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) for left renal lithiasis 11 years previ
ously. A renal dynamic study with Tc-99m-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid
(DTPA) indicated that the rate of renal excretion and uptake was decreased
in the left kidney and normal in the right kidney. Renal angiography demon
strated a normal right renal artery and a small but;nonstenotic left renal
artery. The ratio of PRA in the left renal Vein to that In the right renal
Vein was 1.7. Blood pressure could be lowered to the range of 140-150/80-90
mmHg with Imidapril, an ACE inhibitor. ESWL may cause hypertension via the
well-known Page kidney effect. In this case, the kidney, atrophic probably
due to ESWL, released a significant amount of renin.