Correlations of smoothness index and trough-to-peak ratio with left ventricular mass index changes induced by lercanidipine in hypertensive patients: A pilot trial

Aim. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation of changes in left ventricular mass, with changes in office blood pressure (BP) and in 24-h ambulatory (ABP), with the trough-to-peak (T/P) ratio and with the smoothness index (SI), as induced by antihypertensive treatment with lercanidipine. Methods. This was done through an observational, prospective, open, non-comparative, single centre, pilot study in patients naïve to antihypertensive therapy. All patients were treated with lercanidipine 10-20 mg/day plus hydrochlorothiazide 12.5-25 mg/day if treated BP exceeded an arbitrarily defined safety level (> 160/100 mmHg) after 1 month on monotherapy. ABP monitoring was repeated after 1 month and after 6 months. Two-dimensional mode echocardiography was performed twice, at the beginning and end of the study. Seventeen patients were included in the final analysis (aged 45.8 ± 10.7 years, 35% women). Results. Treatment-induced changes in left ventricular mass index (LVMI) were not found to correlate neither with changes in office BP, with changes in ABP values, nor with T/P. However, a significant correlation was found between LVMI changes and SI at 6 months (r=0.50, P=0.039). Conclusion. The results of this study suggest that the SI has a higher predictive value, compared to other BP-derived parameters, for treatment-induced LVMI changes, in hypertensive patients treated with lercanidipine.