Methods for assessing efficacy of renal neuromodulation and associated systems and devices

A method of assessing efficacy of a renal neuromodulation procedure in a human patient, the method comprising:

• selecting one or more biomarkers indicative of a level of sympathetic nervous activity or blood pressure from a group consisting of normetanephrine, vanillylmandelic acid, metanephrine, and homovanillic acid;
• determining a baseline level of the one or more biomarkers in urine collected from the human patient;
• at least partially inhibiting sympathetic neural activity in a renal nerve of the human patient via a neuromodulation assembly;
• determining a post-neuromodulation level of the one or more biomarkers in urine collected from the human patient;
• determining a difference between the post-neuromodulation level and the baseline level of the one or more biomarkers in the urine;
• and
• classifying the renal neuromodulation procedure as at least partially successful when the difference is between a first threshold amount and a second threshold amount, and as completely successful when the difference is greater than the second threshold amount, wherein the first threshold amount is based on post-neuromodulation levels and baseline levels achieved by patients having previously undergone partially successful renal neuromodulation, and wherein the second threshold amount is based on post-neuromodulation levels and baseline levels achieved by patients having previously undergone completely successful renal modulation;
• wherein the first threshold amount is based on an average of the differences between the post-neuromodulation levels and the baseline levels achieved by patients having previously undergone partially successful renal neuromodulation, wherein the second threshold amount is based on an average of the differences between the post-neuromodulation levels and the baseline levels achieved by patients having previously undergone completely successful renal neuromodulation.