Image-Guided Renal Angioplasty: Productivity Gains and Cost-Savings
Arteries that carry blood to the kidneys, called renal arteries, often become clogged with plaque, much like coronary arteries. To unclog them, physicians perform a procedure called renal angioplasty, which is essentially the same as coronary angioplasty: They snake a thin catheter to the site of the blockage, open a small "balloon," and push the plaque against the wall of the artery.
Role of imaging: X-ray fluoroscopy shows images on a large video monitor as the physician guides the catheter to the blockage.
- Renal angioplasty costs one-fifth that of a surgical bypass operation: In fact, $6,000 less, according to one study.1 When post-procedure care is also included, renal angioplasty was $14,000 less than surgical bypass. Click here to view the study
- The savings came from shorter procedure time, elimination of the need for general anesthesia, minimal need for care after the procedure, and virtual elimination of a hospital stay.
- The average duration for performing renal angioplasty was three hours less than bypass surgery.
Imaging savings, productivity in treating renal artery blockage
Minimally invasive therapies save time, money, time in hospital |
| |
PTRA2 |
RABG3 |
| Average duration of procedure |
2 hours |
5.75 hours |
| Average cost of procedure |
$1,402 |
$7,668 |
| Percent of patients hospitalized for procedure |
17% |
100% |
| Length of hospitalization |
0.6 days |
15.2 days |
| Average cost of hospitalization |
$540 |
$16,325 |
| “Outcome and Cost Comparison of Percutaneous Transluminal Renal Angioplasty, Renal Arterial Stent Placement, and Renal Arterial Bypass Grafting,” Radiology, August 1999 |
1 "Outcome and Cost-Comparison of Percutaneous Transluminal Renal Angioplasty, Renal Arterial Stent Placement, and Renal Arterial Bypass Grafting," Xue F, Bettmann MA, Langdon DR, Libivell WA, Radiology, 1999; 212:378-384. Also see “Athersclerotic Vascular Disease Conference: Writing Group VI: Revascularization,” Bettmann MA, et. al., Circulation, Vol 109, pp 2643-2650, June 1, 2004.
2 Percutaneous Transluminal Renal Angioplasty
3 Renal Artery Bypass Graft
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