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 .
The optimal dosage of ketanserin for patients with severe hypertension in pregnancy.
OBJECTIVE To establish the optimal dosage of ketanserin in the treatment of severe hypertension in pregnancy . STUDY DESIGN A double blind prospect i ve r and omised controlled trail , comparing 10 mg ketanserin given as intravenous boluses either every 10 or 20 min , until the therapeutic goal of 90 mmHg ( diastolic blood pressure ) was reached , to a maximum of eight boluses . Main outcome measures were treatment failures and caesarean sections for fetal distress . RESULTS There was no difference in reaching the therapeutic goal between patients receiving 10 mg ketanserin either every 10 or 20 min . CONCLUSION Ketanserin appears to be an attractive medicine in the treatment of  severe hypertension in pregnancy , but the optimal dosage could not be established
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 .