[Controlled hypotension with nitroglycerin in neurosurgery (author's transl)].

Controlled hypotension with nitroglycerin has been used n 30 neurosurgical procedures for aneurysms clipping, artero-veinous malformations, cerebral vascularised tumours and in some cases in the course of serial carotido-cerebral angiography. Farmacodynamic aspects of this drug and its effects on intracranial pressure are compared with sodium nitroprusside. Controlled hypotension was induced with prepared solution of nitroglycerin via an infusion pump in order to achieve a mean arterial blood pressure from 70 to 40 torr. All patients during hypotension were monitored by continuous blood pressure, pulse rate and intracranial pressure records. First results of our clinical evaluation indicate that this drug produce a rapid fall in blood pressure without harmful effect and does not significantly modify intracranial pressure. Its potential benefit in spasm of intracranial arteries associated with subarachnoid bleeding is investigated.