ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of lacidipine and nifedipine on lower limb veins. Forty hypertensive patients, aged 30-50 years, with no deep venous thrombosis, venous insufficiency, or hypothyroidism underwent double-blind treatment with placebo (1 week), lacidipine 4 mg once daily (1 week), and slow-release nifedipine 20 mg twice daily (1 week) in randomized sequence. Echo-color Doppler examination of superficial, deep, communicating, and perforating veins of the legs was performed. The results showed venous insufficiency and hypertension after 1-week administration of lacidipine (5 and 15%, respectively) and nifedipine (10 and 25%, respectively) and only two cases (5%) of venous hypertension during placebo administration. Lower limb edema was observed in two patients (5%) during treatment with nifedipine slow-release (SR). The hemodynamic effects of lacidipine and nifedipine were reversible but may contribute to the mechanism of lower limb edema.
Subject(s)
Calcium Channel Blockers/adverse effects , Dihydropyridines/adverse effects , Leg/blood supply , Nifedipine/adverse effects , Adult , Calcium Channel Blockers/therapeutic use , Delayed-Action Preparations , Dihydropyridines/therapeutic use , Double-Blind Method , Female , Hemodynamics/drug effects , Humans , Hypertension/complications , Hypertension/drug therapy , Leg/diagnostic imaging , Male , Middle Aged , Nifedipine/therapeutic use , Regional Blood Flow/drug effects , Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color , Veins/drug effectsABSTRACT
Atherosclerosis is a systemic vascular disease that can produce pathologies in any organ. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of asymptomatic peripheral atherosclerosis (PA) in patients symptomatic for angina and myocardial infarction affected by coronary atherosclerosis (CAD). 315 patients (268 male and 47 female) aged between 36 and 69 years, asymptomatic for claudicatio and cerebral ischaemic disease, underwent selective coronary angiography to detect coronary stenosis > or = 50% and Echo-Color-Doppler examination of the epiaortic trunks and upper and lower limb arteries to detect peripheral stenosis > or = 30%. In the total population the incidence of PA in patients with CAD was 23% but in patients with trivascular CAD it was 32%. These data suggest that in patients with trivascular CAD it is necessary to investigate peripheral circulation as, also in asymptomatic patients, polydistrictual atherosclerosis was frequent.
Subject(s)
Arteriosclerosis/epidemiology , Coronary Artery Disease/epidemiology , Peripheral Vascular Diseases/epidemiology , Adult , Aged , Arteriosclerosis/diagnostic imaging , Coronary Angiography , Coronary Artery Disease/diagnostic imaging , Female , Humans , Incidence , Male , Middle Aged , Peripheral Vascular Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Risk Factors , Ultrasonics , UltrasonographyABSTRACT
In this study ultrasonographic techniques are suggested to monitor internal mammary artery bypass graft on the anterior descending coronary artery. One hundred and fourty patients were studied using 3 different ultrasonographic methods: zero-crossing continuous wave Doppler, fast Fourier transform (FFT) continuous wave Doppler and high resolution echo-Doppler. The patients underwent the ultrasonographic examinations 3 times a year for 4 years. By means of FFT Doppler analysis and echo-Doppler it was possible to perform the study in 138 patients and by zero-crossing system in 127 patients. Ultrasonographic techniques showed pathologies of the graft in 17 (13%) patients: 15 with obstructive pathologies and 2 with haemodetournament of the second intercostal artery.
