Hydralazine was the most common drug for others to be evaluated against .
Diazoxide , given as 75 mg bolus injections , appears to be associated with maternal hypotension requiring treatment , and ketanserin is less effective than hydralazine at reducing blood pressure .
There is no other clear evidence that any one of the other antihypertensive agents is better than another for women with severe hypertension during pregnancy .
Exceptions are diazoxide and ketanserin , which are probably not good choices
BACKGROUND Very high blood pressure during pregnancy poses a serious threat to women and their babies .
The use of drugs to lower blood pressure will reduce this risk for the women , and possibly also for the baby .
OBJECTIVES The objective of this review was to compare different antihypertensive drugs used for treatment of severe hypertension during pregnancy .
Ketanserin and hydralazine in hypertension in pregnancy--a randomised double-blind trial.
OBJECTIVES To compare ketanserin with hydralazine in the treatment of hypertension in late pregnancy . STUDY DESIGN R and omised control trial . Ten milligrams ketanserin were compared with 5 mg hydralazine , both given intravenously to 10 patients in each group .  Blood pressure , maternal and fetal heart rate and umbilical and arcuate artery Doppler flow velocimetry waveforms were recorded before and every 10 minutes after administration of the drug . RESULTS No significant differences were found between the two drugs in respect of initial blood pressures and readings taken 10 minutes after each 30-minute administration . One patient in the hydralazine group developed severe hypotension and fetal distress for which a caesarean section was performed . No change in the flow velocity waveforms of umbilical and arcuate arteries was noticed . CONCLUSION No unforeseen complications followed the administration of ketanserin . No major differences in the effects of the two drugs could be detected . Ketanserin appears to be safer as no hypotension occurred , and it reduced blood pressure more gradually . As ketanserin could become an alternative to hydralazine , more studies with larger numbers of patients are needed to compare it with hydralazine
Hydralazine was the most common drug for others to be evaluated against .
Diazoxide , given as 75 mg bolus injections , appears to be associated with maternal hypotension requiring treatment , and ketanserin is less effective than hydralazine at reducing blood pressure .
There is no other clear evidence that any one of the other antihypertensive agents is better than another for women with severe hypertension during pregnancy .
Exceptions are diazoxide and ketanserin , which are probably not good choices
BACKGROUND Very high blood pressure during pregnancy poses a serious threat to women and their babies .
The use of drugs to lower blood pressure will reduce this risk for the women , and possibly also for the baby .
OBJECTIVES The objective of this review was to compare different antihypertensive drugs used for treatment of severe hypertension during pregnancy .