Evaluation of arterial compliance-pressure curves. Effect of antihypertensive drugs.
A new high-precision ultrasonic device was developed to determine noninvasively arterial compliance as a function of blood pressure. Because of the nonlinear elastic properties of arterial walls, measurements of compliance can be appropriately compared only if obtained over a range of pressures. This apparatus was used to evaluate in a double-blind, parallel fashion the effect of three different antihypertensive drugs and of a placebo on radial artery compliance. Thirty-two normotensive volunteers were randomly allocated to an 8-day, once-a-day oral treatment with either a placebo, 100 mg atenolol, 20 mg nitrendipine, or 20 mg lisinopril. Blood pressure, heart rate, radial artery diameter, and arterial compliance were measured immediately before as well as 6 hours after dosing on the first and last days of the study. On the eighth day of administration, within 6 hours after dosing, lisinopril induced an acute increase in radial artery diameter, from 2.99 +/- 0.06 to 3.28 +/- 0.09 mm (mean +/- SEM, p less than 0.01). The compliance-pressure curve was shifted upward on day 1 (p less than 0.01) as well as on day 8 (p less than 0.05). None of the other drugs induced any significant modification of these parameters. Arterial compliance has a strong nonlinear dependency on intra-arterial pressure and therefore has to be defined as a function of pressure. Antihypertensive drugs acting by different mechanisms may have different effects on the mechanical properties of large arteries.
Division of Hypertension, University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.
F
F
Perret
V
V
Mooser
D
D
Hayoz
Y
Y
Tardy
J J
JJ
Meister
J D
JD
Etienne
P A
PA
Farine
A
A
Marazzi
M
M
Burnier
J
J
Nussberger
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000328:Adult; D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000097:blood; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001158:Arteries / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D003187:Compliance / Q000187:drug effects; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D000804:Angiotensin II