Detection of target damage plays a key role in the evalation of overall risk, and therefore in the management of patient with primary hypertension.Evaluation of vascular

at different sites of the renal parenchyma may suggest funtionnal or structural changes within the kidneys and could provide useful diagnostic and pronostic information.

We evaluated the relatonship betwwen the renal resistive index (RRI) of intrarenal vasculature and the cardiovascular organ damage such as left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), the diastolic dysfunction, microalbunuria, carotid atherosclerosis and the hypertensive retinopathy in hypertensive patients.

300 hypertensive patients underwent echocardiography with conventional Doppler and Doppler tissue imaging (DTI), carotid and renal ultrasonograpy and a bottom of eye.In addition, lipids profile, creatinine in serum, and urinary albumin concentrations were determinate.The patients were divided according to their RRI values in two groups: <0.70 and≥0.70.

Subjects with high RRI were older, had higher systolic and pulse pressure and more years of hypertension, compared to those with low RRI (p<0.0001). Patients with the higher RRI showed and increased left ventricular mass index(LVMI)and carotid intima media thickness with a higher prevalence of LVH with a beginning of deterioration of diastolic function, carotid plaques and microalbuminuria (p<0.0001). Age, systolic and pulsated pressure, carotid repercussion, LVMI and microalbuminuria were independently relatedto RRI.

RRI, especially the higher values, are positively correlated with target organ damage in hypertensive patients.The evlaution of RRI could predict the presence of early cardiovascular damage.The RRI would be a criter of substitution for the estimate of the total cardiovascular risk.