II 75 - II 8 I . Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular volume load '

was again determined. The effect of the increase in left ventricle volume load on diastolic closure rate was examined. The effect of surgical correction was studied and the preand postoperative values compared with each other and with the values for diastolic closure rate found in the normal subjects. The diastolic closure rate was increased in all the patients before operation, the increase was proportional to the size of the shunt or valvular leak, and after corrective surgery it reverted to normal. It is concluded that the mitral diastolic closure rate can be used as an indirect indicator of left ventricular stroke volume which can be useful in the quantitative assessment of patients with aortic reflux or shunts involving the left ventricle and also postoperatively, as an index of the success of surgical correction.