Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 1990, Vol 53, 844-846
Effect of nicardipine on somatosensory evoked potentials in patients with acute cerebral infarction
LP Yao and DY Ding
Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Medical University, People's Republic of China.
We evaluated the effect of nicardipine, a calcium channel blocker, on
somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) in 26 patients with acute cerebral
infarction. Post treatment, 58% (15/26) of the N20 and P25 latencies were
prolonged in the affected hemispheres; 8% (2/26) were shortened; and 35%
(9/26) did not change. The mean N20 and P25 latencies were significantly
prolonged two hours post treatment in the affected hemisphere (N20, P less
than 0.01, P25 P less than 0.01). Nicardipine (Ni) had no effect on SEP
components in the intact hemispheres. Seventy five per cent of the 12
patients with hypertension had a decrease in blood pressure (BP) after
taking nicardipine, but there were no undesirable side effects or worsening
of neurological signs. Our study demonstrates that nicardipine prolongs the
latencies of short-latency components of SEP in the affected hemisphere
after acute ischaemic stroke and also decreases BP. These observations
suggest that nicardipine therapy might impair neuronal function in the
ischaemic zone.
