Effects of Atenolol, Perindopril and Verapamil on Haemodynamic and Vascular Function in Marfan Syndrome - A Randomised Double-Blind Crossover Trial

The investigators recruited 21 patients with confirmed diagnosis of Marfan syndrome from two centres. The investigators performed radial artery applanation tonometry and pulse wave analysis to derive central aortic pressure and haemodynamic indexes pre-and post administering Atenolol 75mg, Perindopril 4mg and Verapamil 240mgs each for four weeks with a two week wash-out between medications. All patients underwent detailed functional and anatomical echocardiographic assessments at each visit.

Inclusion criteria were ages 16-60 years with no treatment or β-blocker or other monotherapy only for Marfan syndrome. Patients with previous aortic dissection or aortic surgery, severe valvular regurgitation, aortic diameter at the sinotubular junction ≥ 5.0cm, contraindications to specific drug treatment, e.g. asthma and β-blocker, or those who were pregnant or at risk of pregnancy were excluded.