This study was designed to demonstrate cerebral hemodynamic changes as macrovascular complication related to diabetes mellitus and hypertension. We measured mean velocities (Vm), and pulsatility indices IPI) of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and the internal carotid artery (ICA) in 37 stroke-free normotensive diabetic patients (DM, M:F = 15:22, 33 hypertensive diabetics (DMHT, M:F = 16:17), 51 nondiabetic hypertensive (HT, M:F = 25:26, duration greater than or equal to 5 years) patients and 57 healthy controls (C, M:F = 26:31), using a three-dimensional transcranial Doppler (Transscan, EME, Uberlingen, Germany). The DM, DMHT and HT patients showed significantly higher PI of the MCA, and DMHT patients also had higher PI of the ICA than the C group. The PI of the MCA in DMHT patients was more elevated than in DM. These results showed that the cerebral hemodynamic changes in diabetes mellitus and hypertension affect pulsatility of cerebral arteries, especially small arteries. These atherosclerotic changes of cerebral arteries appear to be mon aggravated in diabetes mellitus combined with hypertension.