Angiotensin II receptor blocker, valsartan, increases myocardial blood volume and regresses hypertrophy in hypertensive patients.
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.
Komatsu
Hiroshi
H
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
Yamada
Satoshi
S
Iwano
Hiroyuki
H
Okada
Masako
M
Onozuka
Hisao
H
Mikami
Taisei
T
Yokoyama
Shinobu
S
Inoue
Mamiko
M
Kaga
Sanae
S
Nishida
Mutsumi
M
Shimizu
Chikara
C
Matsuno
Kazuhiko
K
Tsutsui
Hiroyuki
H
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
D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers; D013777:Tetrazoles; D000068756:Valsartan; D014633:Valine