[Arterial hypertension during the rehabilitation phase of cerebral stroke. Study with nicardipine].

Arterial blood pressure was recorded in 15 hypertensive patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease in the post-acute stage and under treatment with nicardipine, a drug with tropism for the muscular cells of cerebral vessels. Blood pressure was measured at rest and during rehabilitation sessions. Patients were periodically assessed by Doppler examination of the cerebral vessels in order to evaluate the effect of the drug on vascular resistance. A significant reduction of blood pressure was observed without changes in pulse rate and without significant side effects. Hemodynamic parameters showed reduced resistance of cerebral vessels. These findings confirm the need for accurate control of arterial blood pressure during neurologic rehabilitation; they also bear out the efficacy and safety of nicardipine in this clinical situation.