Evaluation of left ventricular early diastolic performance by color tissueDoppler imaging of the mitral annulus

A noninvasive assessment of left ventricular (LV) diastolic performance by tissue Doppler imaging was performed in 56 patients (8 patients with atypic al chest pain, 42 with coronary artery disease with a previous myocardial i nfarction, and 6 without a previous myocardial infarction) who underwent ca rdiac catheterization. Mitral annular velocity (MAV) during early ventricul ar diastole was obtained by M-mode color tissue Doppler imaging at the post erior corner of the mitral annulus. In each patient, the negative peak of t he first derivative of LV pressure decay (peak -dP/dt) and a time constant of LV relaxation (tau) were calculated from the LV pressure waves obtained by a catheter-tip micromanometer. LV end-systolic volume index was measured from contrast left ventriculography. MAV during early diastole was signifi cantly correlated with tau (r = -0.73, p <0.001), peak -dP/dt (r = 0.58, p <0.001), and LV end-systolic volume index (r = -0.63, p <0.001). On multiva riate regression analysis with MAV during earl)r diastole, tau and LV end-s ystolic volume index were selected as prime determinants (r = 0.80, p <0.00 1). These findings suggest that MAV during early diastole has a direct rela tion to LV elastic recoil as well as to LV relaxation. MAV during early dia stole gives important information regarding LV behavior in late systole to early diastole where LV early diastolic performance is determined. (C) 1998 by Excerpta Medica, Inc.