Regional and systemic haemodynamic response to aortography in hypertensives

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of aortography and of aortic counterflow bolus injection per se on regional and systemic haemodynamics in hypertensives in comparison to normotensive matched controls. DESIGN AND METHODSMean blood velocity (MBV) and pulsatility index (PI) – as an index of regional vascular resistance – by the Doppler technique, at the femoral, common carotid and brachial arteries, finger arterial pressure and electrocardiographic R–Rʼ interval were monitored beat-by-beat, before, during and for 3 min following counterflow bolus injections into the abdominal aorta of 40 ml/2.6 s of iopamidol (I), iso-osmolar mannitol (M) and 0.9 N saline (S), in 11 hypertensive and nine normotensive patients. RESULTSAfter bolus injection of iopamidol, MBV increased to a peak at 35 ± 5 s, both in normotensive (ΔMBV versus baseline + 16.7 ± 9.9 cm/s; P