Figure 2.

Tissue oxygenation and renal blood flow: Because the kidney is abundantly perfused in its function as a filtering organ, it can tolerate moderate reductions in blood flow without developing overt tissue hypoxia. Beyond a critical threshold, however, further reductions lead to tissue hypoxia and activation of oxidative stress and tissue inflammatory injury within the kidney. The clinical effects following renal artery revascularization depend upon the underlying state of the kidney. Many of the prospective RCTs have been hampered by recruitment of relatively minor renovascular disease as compared to observational studies of more severe clinical syndromes. (Figure from reference 26, with permission)