A hydrodynamical approach and the Thomas Fermi approximation have been used to study the evolution of hot and compressed nuclei. Spherical symmetry was assumed in the calculation. The dynamical equations have been transformed into “Schrodinger like” equations (using the Madelung transformation) and were solved numerically. Dissipation was simulated in the same way as in the Navier-Stokes equation by introducing shear and bulk viscosities. Global as well as local thermal equilibrium have been studied. The model has been applied to small amplitude oscillations (the breathing mode) and to the stability of hot and compressed nuclei. It was found that compression is more efficient to break nuclei than thermal excitation. The relaxation time for global equilibrium was estimated to be of the order of 10−22 s. It was found that the results obtained in the case of global and local thermal equilibrium are very similar.