Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular function during isometric exercise in aortic valve incompetence

The left ventricular response to isometric handgrip exercise was assessed by M-mode echocardiography in 20 patients with chronic aortic valve incompetence and 12 healthy control subjects. In aortic incompetence patients the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter remained unchanged, while the end-systolic diameter increased (from 46±8 mm at rest to 50±10 mm during exercise, p<0.001), producing a significant decrease in fractional shortening (from 32±4% at rest to 28±6% during exercise, p<0.001)