Qualitative Assessment of Color M-Mode Signals in the Evaluation of Left Ventricular Diastolic Function: A Proof of Concept Study

Objectives Although the most recent American Society of Echocardiography guidelines are a major step forward in echocardiographic evaluation of diastolic function, the ability to differentiate between normal and abnormal function remains challenging. The authors aimed to determine whether qualitative assessments of color M-mode flow displays could be a useful parameter in the evaluation of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction. Design Retrospective observational study. Setting Tertiary care level hospital. Participants The study comprised echocardiographic data from 105 consecutive patients. Intervention None. Measurements and Main Results Patients were allocated into the following 3 groups according to the LV diastolic function based on current American Society of Echocardiography recommendation guidelines for LV diastolic dysfunction classification: group I—normal function (n = 40); group II—early relaxation abnormalities (grade I) (n = 50), and group III—elevated LV pressures (grade II) (n = 15). Patients with normal diastolic function were younger (45 ± 14 y) than those with diastolic dysfunction (group II: 64 ± 10 y and group III: 56 ± 15 y) (p Conclusion Qualitative assessment of color M-mode flow displays offers simple and reliable information of potential usefulness in the evaluation of LV diastolic function.