High-Intensity Ultrasound Energy Used to Treat Hypertension

Led by Sahil Parikh, MD, a team at the University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland performed the first procedure on a patient in RADIANCE-HTN, an international clinical trial evaluating the effect of the ReCor Paradise Renal Denervation System on lowering blood pressure in patients with hypertension.

The minimally invasive therapy was developed by ReCor Medical, Inc. to treat overactive nerves leading to the kidney, a process called renal denervation. RADIANCE-HTN uses high-intensity ultrasound energy (heat waves) aimed at decreasing the over-activity of these nerves, thereby lowering blood pressure.

“There is strong scientific rationale for this study to evaluate renal denervation as a treatment for hypertension,” said Dr. Parikh, interventional cardiologist at UH Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute.

The catheter-based technology delivers the ultrasound energy circumferentially to target the nerves. Disruption of the renal nerves has been shown in previous studies to prevent, delay or reduce the magnitude of hypertension.

RADIANCE-HTN is a blinded, randomized, sham-controlled trial designed to evaluate the blood pressure lowering effect of the Paradise System in two patient populations: patients currently uncontrolled on three or more blood pressure medications (termed “resistant hypertension”) and in participants taking two or fewer blood pressure medications to manage their blood pressure. In the study, half the participants will receive the ultrasound therapy and half the patients will not receive ultrasound treatment; Patients will not know which treatment they receive.

The study is enrolling people between the ages of 18-75 with hypertension that may or may not be controlled with medication. UH is among 40 investigational sites in the US, UK, France, Germany and The Netherlands.

“Many patients struggle to control their blood pressure on medication,” said Dr. Parikh, who is also Assistant Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and director of the UH Harrington Heart and Vascular Institute Center for Research and Innovation. “We are pleased to participate in this important study evaluating if this new technology can become a treatment option for the millions of patients with hypertension.”