[Evaluation of aortic distensibility using cine-MR before and after antihypertensive treatment with calcium antagonists and ACE-inhibitors]. / Valutazione della distensibilità aortica con cine-RM prima e dopo trattamento antipertensivo con calcioantagonisti ed ACE-inibitori.

ABSTRACT

Several studies have been performed in the last years to evaluate arterial distensibility, particularly of the aorta, in hypertension and to estimate the changes of this distensibility after anti-hypertensive treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the aortic distensibility in a group of 10 patients with essential hypertension in comparison with a control group, with regard to the vascular effects of a long-term anti-hypertensive treatment with calcium-antagonists and ACE-inhibitors. All patients were studied using cine-MR imaging, a technique with several peculiarities (multiplanar scanning, intrinsic contrast, etc) that allows simple and quick assessment of the aortic vascular parameters in the ascending and descending tracts. The results of our study show the absence of a significant improvement of aortic vascular areas, and therefore of vessel distensibility, even in the presence of a complete blood pressure normalization in all patients after a 3-month treatment. These data do not confirm previous reports in this setting, based on the ultrasonographic techniques (2D and Doppler echocardiography). Two major reasons may explain our results: first, the rigorous criteria of patient enrollment that we have stated in order to avoid any influence of age and/or other pathologies; second, the ability of MR imaging to allow accurate estimation of aortic vascular parameters and to achieve an excellent intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility in comparison with other techniques. We conclude that MR imaging is the method of choice for the assessment of cardiovascular function and morphology.