Nifedipine in the long-term management of hypertensive heart disease.

57 spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) (n=28 treated, n=29 age-matched untreated controls)

Nifedipine 30 mg/kg/day for 20, 40, and 60 weeks

Untreated age-matched spontaneously hypertensive rats

Left ventricular (LV) hemodynamics, LV muscle mass, and LV geometry (LV Pressure [PLV], systolic wall stress [Tsyst], ejection fraction [EF], cardiac index [CI], ratio of LV muscle mass to body weight [LV/BW], and ratio of LV muscle mass to end-diastolic volume [M/V])surrogate