Flow-dependent vasodilation of the brachial artery in essential hypertension

Brachial artery haemodynamics including brachial artery diameter and local blood flow velocity were studied in 10 normotensive subjects and 10 age-matched hypertensive patients. A bidimensional pulsed Doppler system was used at rest, during a 2-min period of distal circulatory occlusion and during reactive hyperaemia. The kinetics of changes in blood flow velocity and brachial artery diameter were determined during successive and reproducible manoeuvres. The two parameters decreased significantly during distal artery occlusion in both groups. During reactive hyperaemia, blood velocity reached similar maximal values in both groups and brachial artery diameter increased significantly in both normotensives and hypertensives. Changes in the brachial artery diameter during reactive hyperaemia were positively and significantly correlated to changes in blood flow velocity recorded at the same level. No significant difference was found between normotensives and hypertensives. This study has provided a demonstration of velocity-dependent variations in the diameter of a large artery in humans; the results suggest that velocity-dependent vasodilation of the brachial artery is not impaired in essential hypertension.