Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography reveals a lower cortical perfusion and a decreased renal flow reserve in hypertensive patients.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Microvascular structural alteration and dysfunction is a hallmark of arterial hypertension. So far, the visualization and the quantification of renal microcirculation in humans has been hampered by the lack of non-nephrotoxic and non-invasive radiologic techniques. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) is an appealing method to investigate renal microcirculation and has not been investigated in this setting. We aimed to compare renal microcirculation in normotensive (NT) and hypertensive (HT) participants using CEUS at rest and during a sympathetic stress test.

Methods

We measured the renal perfusion index (PI, primary outcome), the renal resistive index (RRI), beat-to-beat systemic hemodynamics and plasma catecholamines before and during a 2-min cold pressor t

SUBMITTER: Damianaki A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10828216 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature