Methods and systems for measuring renal neural electrical activity by electrically stimulating in abdominal aorta and sensing evoked neural electrical resonse in renal artery

A method for use in evaluating neural electrical activity of renal nerves in tissue surrounding a renal artery of a patient for which a renal denervation procedure has been or is going to be performed, the method comprising:

• inserting a distal portion of a guide catheter through an abdominal aorta of a patient such that the distal portion of the guide catheter is positioned adjacent to a renal artery ostium located along a lateral aspect of the abdominal aorta, or such that the distal portion of the guide catheter is inserted through the renal artery ostium and into a proximal portion of the renal artery of the patient;
• using the guide catheter to insert a distal portion of a mapping catheter through a distal most end of the guide catheter such that the distal portion of the mapping catheter is positioned within the renal artery of the patient;
• while the distal portion of the mapping catheter is positioned within the renal artery of the patient,
• using a stimulation electrode positioned in the abdominal aorta to deliver one or more electrical stimulation pulses to an aorticorenal ganglia thereby evoking a neural electrical response from at least some of the renal nerves in tissue surrounding the renal artery, wherein the stimulation electrode is located on the mapping catheter, on the distal portion of the guide catheter, or on a guidewire;
• and
• using a sense electrode positioned in the renal artery, downstream from the stimulation electrode, to sense the neural electrical activity evoked in response to the one or more electrical stimulation pulses, wherein the sense electrode is located on the mapping catheter;
• and
• using the sensed neural electrical activity, evoked in response to the one or more electrical stimulation pulses, as a pre-denervation or post-denervation measurement associated with a renal denervation procedure.

A method for use in evaluating neural electrical activity of renal nerves in tissue surrounding a renal artery of a patient for which a renal denervation procedure has been or is going to be performed, the method comprising:

• using a stimulation electrode positioned in an abdominal aorta of the patient to deliver one or more electrical stimulation pulses to an aorticorenal ganglia thereby evoking a neural electrical response from at least some of the renal nerves in tissue surrounding the renal artery;
• using a sense electrode positioned in the renal artery, downstream from the stimulation electrode, to sense the neural electrical activity evoked in response to the one or more electrical stimulation pulses;
• and
• using the sensed neural electrical activity, evoked in response to the one or more electrical stimulation pulses, as a pre-denervation or post-denervation measurement associated with a renal denervation procedure.