Eighty seven cases of reno-vascular hypertension were treated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) between October 1981 and October 1997. Athrosclerosis was the etiology of renal artery lesions in 14 cases (16.1%), arthritis in 65 cases (74.7%), and fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) in 8 cases (9.2%). There were 116 renal arteries suffered. Unilateral disease was in 48 cases, bilateral was in 39 cases. Average length of stenostic segment was 9.0 ± 5.75 mm (mean ± SD) before PTA, the wide was 1.81 ± 0.99 mm, after PTA, the average wide was 3.95 ± 1.29 mm. The systolic blood pressure was 198 ± 34 mmHg, diastolic was 124 ± 23 mmHg before treatment. At the follow-up period, 51 (1-168) months, the systolic blood pressure was 144 ± 15 mmHg, and diastolic pressure was 93 ± 13 mmHg. The morbidity rate in this series was 8% (one false aneurysm at the puncture site, one renal artery dissection, two renal artery thrombosed, and three bleeding at the puncture site). There was no mortality. The cure-improve rate in athrosclerosis cases was 57.1%, in arteritis cases was 81.6%, FMD was 87.5%. The conclusion was PTA should be considered as the first choice for the treatment of reno-vascular hypertension, especially for the arthritis patients.