EFFECT OF LONG-TERM ANTIHYPERTENSIVE TREATMENT ON THE CEREBRAL BLOOD-FLOW IN PATIENTS WITH BRAIN INFARCTION

After long-term antihypertensive treatment (mean 25 months, range 18-3 8 months), the cerebral blood flow (CBF) in both symptomatic and asymp tomatic hemispheres remained unchanged despite a reduction in blood pr essure in 24 hypertensive cases with chronic cerebral infarction. Howe ver, there was a positive correlation between the change in systolic o r mean blood pressure and the change in CBF in the symptomatic hemisph ere (p < 0.05). Our data suggest that more than 80% of the pretreatmen t level of blood pressure or 120 mm Hg of systolic blood pressure migh t be a preferable lower level of blood pressure for antihypertensive t reatment in patients with chronic cerebral infarction.