With aging, pulse pressure increases. A high pulse pressure has been recognised as an important cardiovascular risk factor. The increase in pulse pressure with aging is mainly due to a decrease in large artery compliance. Compliance and distensibility are large artery wall properties. Compliance is the buffering capacity of the vessel. Distensibility reflects much more the elasticity of the artery. Compliance is related to distensibility and arterial diameter. These large artery wall properties can be measured non-invasively using new echo-tracking techniques. With these techniques it has been shown that the elasticity (distensibility) and the buffering capacity (compliance) of the common carotid artery is decreasing with aging, while diameter of the artery increases. This increase in diameter might be a compen-

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Nicorandil (N) and isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) are vasodilator drugs used in patients with angina. In 24 healthy male volunteers (18-32 years), the acute effect of a single oral dose (20 mg) of N and ISDN on arterial diameter (D), distensibility, and compliance of the elastic common carotid artery (CCA) and the muscular femoral (FA) and brachial (BA) arteries were investigated. The effects on systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), heart rate (HR), cardiac index (CI), systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI), and venous hemodynamics were also assessed. In addition, the subacute effects after 8 days of treatment with N (2 x 20 mg/day) and ISDN (3 x 20 mg/day) on these parameters were evaluated. After a 20 mg single oral dose, blood pressure decreased significantly more with ISDN (SBP: 6%; DBP: 14%) than with N (SBP: 2%; DBP: 6%), but after 8 days this decrease in blood pressure was not statistically different between ISDN and N. The diameter of CCA increased more with ISDN (11%) than N (5%) acutely as well as subacutely (ISDN: 12%; N: 9%). Heart rate increased only with ISDN (7% acutely, 3% subacutely). No differences between ISDN and nicorandil were found for acute and subacute effects on SVRI, venous hemodynamics, diameter of muscular arteries (FA, BA), and the distensibility and compliance of elastic (CCA) and muscular (FA, BA) arteries.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)