ASSESSMENT OF LEFT-VENTRICULAR DIASTOLIC FUNCTION FROM MITRAL ANNULUSMOTION, A COMPARISON WITH PULSED DOPPLER MEASUREMENTS IN PATIENTS WITH HEART-FAILURE

Mitral and pulmonary venous flow velocity recordings are often used fo r the assessment of left ventricular diastolic function. These curves are, however, also influenced by other factors. To investigate whether mitral annulus motion carries additional information in this context, mitral annulus motion was compared to Doppler registrations of mitral and pulmonary flow velocities in 38 patients with heart failure (NYHA II-III) after myocardial infarction. Patients with an increased atria l contribution to mitral annulus motion (>57%, n = 12) had a higher mi tral late-to-early flow velocity ratio (A/E) and pulmonary systolic to diastolic filling ratio (<0.01). Patients with atrial displacement ab ove average for the group (greater than or equal to 5.1 mm, n = 19) ha d a higher mitral A/E ratio and pulmonary systolic to diastolic fillin g ratio than patients with a lower than average atrial component (P < 0.05). There was a significant correlation between a/T ratio and A/E r atio (r = 0.61, P < 0.001) and between pulmonary flow and transmitral now (= 0.76, P < 0.001). We conclude that an increased atrial displace ment of the mitral annulus is a frequent finding in patients with sign s of left ventricular relaxation abnormality. There is a significant c orrelation between a/T ratio and A/E ratio but the information contain ed in the two indices are not identical.