Neurogenic pressor episodes fail to cause hypertension, but do induce cardiac hypertrophy

Repeated neurogenic pressor episodes by hindquarter compression were elicited in nine experimental dogs. Conscious dogs underwent 6 hours of compression every day over a period of 9 weeks. The average mean blood pressure increase during the compression periods was 25 mm Hg, but after decompression the blood pressure promptly returned to baseline values. This blood pressure response was constant and did not change over the 9-week period. The blood pressure increase was associated with a significant increase of plasma norepinephrine values. After validity of the model was established, echocardiographic measurements were performed at baseline and after 3, 6, and 9 weeks of compression in six experimental and six time-control dogs. Concentric left ventricular hypertrophy was already detectable at 3 weeks, and at the ninth week, the left ventricular mass was 28% above the baseline value. The left ventricular mass in time-control dogs remained unchanged over the same period of time. The time-left ventricular mass curves in experimental dogs were significantly different (by profile analysis), had different means (p less than 0.005), were not parallel (p less than 0.0006), and the overall group difference was highly significant (p less than 0.00001). Since left ventricular hypertrophy, a poor prognostic sign in clinical situations, can evolve before established hypertension, present therapeutic recommendations based on permanently elevated blood pressure values may not be entirely justified.