[Nitroglycerin ointment v.s. sublingual nitroglycerin on peripheral venomotricity in man (author's transl)]

Topical administration of nitroglycerin ointment (NGO) was suggested as a useful therapeutic approach for angina pectoris in man. In six healthy volunteers the effects of NGO (15 mg) on venous motricity (VM) were compared to those of a placebo ointment and of the sublingual form (NGS) (0.75 mg). VM was assessed at regular intervals by an original atraumatic technique involving simultaneous measurement of dorsal hand vein diameter (HVD) and whole hand volume changes (VH) during short inflation periods of a sphygmomanometer cuff around the upper arm. A venous distensibility ratio (VDR = HVD/VH) was used as VM index. With NGS, the maximum increase in VDR (from 0.60 to 2.30)(230.6 +/- 13.9%) occurs after 10 min but the effect completely disappears after 1.5 hours. With NGO, the increase in VDR is slightly less marked (from 0.81 to 1.80) (120.1 +/- 4.2%) but occurs as early as with NGS; subsequently VDR stabilizes at a plateau value of 1.6 for at least 6 hours, thus demonstrating the early and long-lasting efficacy of NGO.