BACKGROUND Invasive studies have shown that cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) acutely improves left ventricular (LV) systolic performance and lowers filling pressures in a majority of patients with medically-refractory severe heart failure. Measurements included LV volume, ejection fraction, PWD early (E-wave) and atrial (A-wave) velocities, diastolic filling time (DFT), and DTI early dia...

Our understanding of left ventricular diastolic function has evolved with our understanding of Doppler echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular filling dynamics. Left ventricular diastolic function consists of several variables which affect the Doppler echocardiographic recordings in a complex way. While there are still limitations with the non-invasive assessment of left ventricular di...

Background Dyspnea with exertion is a common symptom in patients with left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic dysfunction. Assessing changes in systolic and diastolic hemodynamic parameters with exercise is necessary to thoroughly characterize these patients. Evaluation of changes in LV systolic function with exercise stress cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) has been demonstrated previously ...

BACKGROUND Abnormalities in left ventricular (LV) structure and function occur in patients with diastolic heart failure (DHF). The reasons for the transition from asymptomatic dysfunction to heart failure need better definition, including noninvasive measurements that can detect the transition. METHODS AND RESULTS In 64 patients undergoing right heart catheterization, simultaneous echocardiog...

Approximately half of patients with a diagnosis of heart failure have a normal left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) without valve disease which is defined as diastolic heart failure (DHF), because it is attributed to LV diastolic dysfunction.[2] Studies examining prevalence of diastolic heart failure in hospitalized patients or in patients undergoing outpatient diag‐ nostic screening an...

It is now recognized that 30% to 50% of patients who have symptomatic congestive heart failure have preserved left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction [1,2]. Abnormalities in diastolic function not only assume a fundamental role in these but also relate to the severity of symptoms and prognosis in all heart failure patients, regardless of the cause [3,4]. Two-dimensional (2D) and Doppler echocar...

Prevalence of heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction amounts to 50% of all cases with heart failure. Diagnosis assessment requires evidence of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. Currently, echocardiography is the method of choice for diastolic function testing in clinical practice. Various applications are in use and recommended criteria are followed for classifyin...

Approximately half of patients with a diagnosis of heart failure have a normal left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) without valve disease which is defined as diastolic heart failure (DHF), because it is attributed to LV diastolic dysfunction.[2] Studies examining prevalence of diastolic heart failure in hospitalized patients or in patients undergoing outpatient diag‐ nostic screening an...

RECENT STUDIES in diseased hearts have demonstrated that diastolic dysfunction may precede abnormalities in systolic ventricular performance. Therefore, it is important to critically review methods currently being used in the assessment of diastolic function. Many review articles and symposia that express differing points of view have been published recently. '-5 Several of the controversies st...