Stress pulsed Doppler echocardiography in the evaluation of diastolic left ventricular function

: The effect of sublingual nifedipine on left ventricular (LV) function was assessed by analyzing LV inflow velocity patterns using pulsed Doppler echocardiography (PDE) and radioisotope (RI) angiography in 23 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), 13 with hypertensive heart disease (HHD) and 24 with ischemic heart disease (IHD). The results were as follows: LV inflow velocity pattern and M-mode echocardiography after the administration of nifedipine (Study-I). The deceleration time (DT) of the diastolic rapid filling wave was shortened after nifedipine in HCM and HHD, but not in IHD. The acceleration time (AT) of the diastolic rapid filling wave and the A/D ratio (amplitude of an atrial contraction wave/amplitude of a diastolic rapid filling wave) were not significantly changed in all groups. Peak negative Vcf was significantly improved after nifedipine in HCM, but unchanged in the other groups. Fractional shortening and peak Vcf did not change in all groups. LV inflow velocity pattern and RI angiography after nifedipine (Study-II). The mean LV rapid filling rate (V1) based on the LV volume curve by multi-gated blood pool scans increased during nifedipine in HCM and HHD, but other diastolic indices, such as the peak filling rate and 1/3 filling fraction, were unchanged. The DT-V1 relationship during nifedipine shifted toward the right and downward in HCM and HHD. In IHD, however, this relationship shifted toward the left and downward in cases with reduced LV function (V1 less than 1.0 EDC/sec), but toward the right and downward in patients whose LV function was maintained (V1 greater than or equal to 1.0 EDC/sec). Nifedipine therapy was associated with an improved LV filling in nearly all cases of HCM and HHD, and in some cases of IHD. PDE and RI angiography are useful for evaluating LV diastolic function during sublingual nifedipine in various heart diseases.