Cutting nerves connected to the carotid body, which is located in the neck and measures blood oxygen levels, can quickly lower blood pressure with lasting results, researchers claimed.
Patients whose high blood pressure is not controlled by drugs are currently offered "renal denervation", an operation where nerves which connect the kidney to the brain are disabled, but experts differ over how effective the treatment is.
The new procedure, known as carotid body denervation, could provide an alternative treatment and be effective even in patients who have already had renal denervation, researchers claimed.
Doctors disable specific nerves connected to the carotid body, which continuously measures the amount of oxygen in the blood and can raise or lower blood pressure by triggering a response from the nervous system.
A study conducted on rats with high blood pressure by researchers from the University of Bristol found that the procedure reduced nervous system activity, "providing an effective antihypertensive treatment".
Writing in the Nature Communications journal, they said their findings "could translate" to some human patients with high blood pressure.
Dr Tim Chico, an honorary Consultant Cardiologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, who was not involved in the study, said: "This is an exciting and innovative approach to a major health problem.
"Current treatments for high blood pressure have serious drawbacks. No one likes taking multiple tablets and medics are often guilty of not explaining properly why treatment is needed and what benefits might be expected."
Prof Tony Heagerty of Manchester University's Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, added: "If this were to be translated into humans it again would offer another possibility for interfering with nervous system traffic and lowering pressure.
"In addition, it adds to the accumulating body of evidence which suggests that many cases of hypertension are produced by this overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system which may in fact be genetically determined."