Effects of lacidipine on the carotid and cerebral circulations in essential hypertension.

Arterial diameter, blood flow, and vascular resistance of the common carotid artery were studied, using a pulsed Doppler system, in patients with uncomplicated sustained essential hypertension compared with age-matched normotensive subjects. In the hypertensive subjects, arterial diameter and blood flow remained close to the normal range while vascular resistance was increased. Following antihypertensive drug treatment with converting enzyme inhibitors, nitrates, or calcium antagonists, dilation of small or large arteries, or both, may be obtained, depending on the administered compound. Calcium blockade by lacidipine produced a predominantly carotid arteriolar dilation with no change in arterial diameter, suggesting independent consequences on cerebral circulation and baroreflex mechanisms.