title: Angiotensin II receptor blocker, valsartan, increases myocardial blood volume and regresses hypertrophy in hypertensive patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although a reduction in myocardial blood volume (MBV), an in vivo index of the myocardial microvasculature, measured by myocardial contrast echocardiography in patients with hypertension (HT), can be demonstrated, it is still unknown whether a decreased MBV can be improved by antihypertensive treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eleven HT patients (mean age 58 years, 7 men) with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and 10 age- and sex-matched normal controls were studied. Harmonic power Doppler images were acquired at end-diastole of every 6(th) beat and MBV was calculated as 10(X/10)x100%, where X (dB) is myocardial contrast intensity minus the contrast intensity of the adjacent intracavity blood pool. Baseline blood pressure (BP) and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) in the HT patients were higher and MBV was lower than in the controls (2.52 +/-0.37% vs 3.31 +/-0.61%, P<0.01). MBV did not correlate with mean BP, but was inversely correlated with LVMI (r=0.61, P<0.01). After treatment with valsartan for 6 months, LVMI significantly decreased and MBV increased (2.72 +/-0.26%, P<0.05 vs baseline) in the patients with HT. There was a significant inverse correlation between the changes in MBV and those of LVMI (r=0.62, P<0.05), but not between MBV and mean BP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Valsartan, an angiotensin II receptor blocker, corrected the decreased MBV in association with regression of LVH in patients with HT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Komatsu
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iwano
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Hisao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Onozuka
authors.forename: Taisei
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mikami
authors.forename: Shinobu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: Mamiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Sanae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaga
authors.forename: Mutsumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishida
authors.forename: Chikara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsuno
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsutsui
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D001810:Blood Volume / Q000187:drug effects; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013777:Tetrazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014633:Valine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000068756:Valsartan
chemical_list: D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers; D013777:Tetrazoles; D000068756:Valsartan; D014633:Valine