Aortic stiffness in the DOCA-hypertensive pig.

Pulsatile changes in aortic diameter and pressure were monitored in order to obtain an index of aortic stiffness in the conscious pig during the development of mineralocorticoid hypertension. The aortic stiffness index increased but to a much lesser extent than it did in response to a similar pressure elevation produced by phenylephrine infusion. This observation suggests that chronic exposure to an elevated pulsatile pressure reduces the stiffness index at the elevated pressure.