Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in elderly persons provides the clinician with the opportunity to determine blood pressure outside the office more accurately. Recent technologic developments in the recorders have greatly improved the feasibility of their use and the accuracy of their recordings. Correlations of the blood pressures obtained by ambulatory blood pressure recorders with standard mercury sphygmomanometers indicate that the measurements are accurate and may improve the assessment of risks related to hypertensive cardiovascular diseases. Clinicians should be aware of the applications of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and alert to situations in which it can be useful in clinical decision making.