[Carotid artery hemodynamics during increased arterial blood pressure]

Ultrasonic duplex scanning was used to measure the volumetric rate of the blood flow (VRBF) in the common carotid artery (CCA) during arterial pressure (AP) rise in 46 patients suffering from arterial hypertension. The group of patients (n = 27) with a moderate rise of AP (by 10-20% of the common AP values) did not manifest any changes in the VRBF in the CCA during AP rise. In the group of patients with a considerable rise of AP (by more than 20% of the common AP values), there was a significant (p less than 0.01) decrease of the total VRBF in both CCA to 747.6 +/- 34.6 ml/min in AP rise as compared with the VRBF in common AP values--815.6 +/- 37.2 ml/min. Apparently, cerebral complaints in the majority of cases of AP rise are not due to excess blood inflow to the brain; the rise of vascular cerebral resistance associated with AP elevation may be of importance.