Source: Hepatology | Posted 9 years ago
Randomized comparison of long-term carvedilol and propranolol administration in the treatment of portal hypertension in cirrhosis.
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Carvedilol has a greater portal hypotensive effect than does propranolol in patients with cirrhosis. However, the its systemic hypotensive effects may limit its clinical applicability.
Investigators in Barcelona and Madrid, Spain, noted that while short-term carvedilol was more powerful than propranolol in reducing hepatic venous pressure gradient in cirrhotic patients, it induced arterial hypotension. That might prevent its long-term use in portal hypertensive patients, the investigators suggested.
To compare hepatic venous pressure gradient reduction and safety of the two drugs long-term, the researchers randomised 51 cirrhotic patients to receive either carvedilol (n=26) or propranolol (n=25).
Haemodynamic measurements and renal function were assessed at baseline and after 11.1
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