AGE DEPENDENCY OF LEFT ATRIAL AND LEFT-VENTRICULAR ACOUSTIC QUANTIFICATION WAVE-FORMS FOR THE EVALUATION OF DIASTOLIC PERFORMANCE IN LEFT-VENTRICULAR HYPERTROPHY

We evaluated diastolic performance in 50 normal subjects and 50 patien ts with concentric left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy. Age-dependent no rmal values were determined for LV and left atrial (LA) acoustic quant ification parameters. Pulsed wave Doppler echocardiography was also pe rformed on all subjects. Patients with LV hypertrophy had higher peak velocities of atrial contraction and atrial contributions to filling. The acoustic quantification waveforms revealed lower rapid filling per centage of total filling and lower peak rapid filling rates. The LA ac oustic quantification analysis confirmed the dependence on active atri al emptying in the patients with LV hypertrophy. There were significan t correlations with age for most of the LV and LA acoustic quantificat ion parameters. Acoustic quantification provided confirmatory results In subjects with an abnormal relaxation or restrictive Doppler pattern . In subjects with a normal Doppler pattern, the acoustic quantificati on was of added diagnostic value, identifying abnormalities in 77% to 80% of the patients.