Groundbreaking Renal Denervation Procedure Controls a Lifetime of High Blood Pressure

Toning down overactive sympathetic nerves that run along the kidney arteries reduced Chris Grosso's blood pressure to normal levels.

Updated May 19, 2025

Chris Grosso was 24 years old when he learned during a regular checkup he had high blood pressure. It would take decades trying different medications and dealing with their side effects before finding a solution—and getting his life back.

“My doctor said I had white coat syndrome—when your blood pressure reads higher at the doctor’s office than elsewhere,” said Chris, 61, of Manasquan, a sales manager for a regional oil company. “He told me I was too young to need blood pressure medication. I didn’t know any better.”

By age 32, though, he was experiencing dizziness, vision problems, and feeling like he was “wearing a baseball cap that was too tight,” all common signs of hypertension. He saw a cardiologist, who tried different combinations of medication to control Chris's blood pressure and cholesterol.

“Every year, my doctors changed my blood pressure medications, but nothing worked for long. Eventually, my blood pressure was 210/160—totally out of control,” said Chris.

Renal Denervation Provides New Hope for Chris

Chris's doctor told him the medical options to treat his high blood pressure were becoming scarce, but research was underway by Virtua interventional cardiologist Kintur Sanghvi, MD, FACC, FSCAI, into a potential new treatment for uncontrolled hypertension called renal denervation.

“Chris had been suffering for many years. We changed his medication and saw some improvement, but I thought he was a perfect candidate for renal denervation,” said Dr. Sanghvi. “We just needed the FDA approval.”

That approval came in late 2023, and in February 2024 Chris became the second person in New Jersey to undergo renal denervation using the Medtronic Symplicity Spyral™ system at Virtua Mount Holly Hospital.

How Renal Denervation Works

Your kidneys regulate your blood pressure by controlling the amount of fluid and sodium in your bloodstream. Renal denervation tones down the sympathetic nerves that run along the kidney arteries. Overactive sympathetic nerves:

Constrict the kidney arteries, preventing the body from filtering sodium and water out of the bloodstream and increasing blood pressure
Increase the level of a hormone that causes high blood pressure by multiple chain reactions in the body
Increase reabsorption of filtered sodium that further increases blood pressure

During the procedure, a wire and catheter are threaded from a groin artery to the kidney arteries. The catheter emits energy to disrupt the nerves that lie just outside the walls of the kidney arteries. The arteries themselves are not harmed during the process.

“We now know that essential hypertension is largely related to overactive sympathetic nerves,” said Dr. Sanghvi. “While medication does work, it does not control all the pathways that can influence blood pressure, and some people are unable to tolerate side effects. Through renal denervation, we are not targeting the processes affected by the sympathetic nerves. We are effectively targeting the nerves themselves.”

A ‘Life-Changing’ Procedure

Chris's blood pressure has gradually decreased to an average of 132/85, and he has been able to halve the dosage of his medication.

“Everyone told me my anxiety was causing my high blood pressure. Dr. Sanghvi was the first person who told me my anxiety was caused by my high blood pressure,” he said. “Now I can tolerate anything. My whole life has changed. Dr. Sanghvi saved my life.”

Is Renal Denervation for You?

Virtua is participating in several studies regarding renal denervation. To see if you qualify or to learn more about the procedure, call 888-847-8823.