Background The aim of our study was to evaluate left ventricular (LV) function using the time intervals between mitral inflow and mitral annular velocities. Methods 40 patients (mean age: 42 years) with heart failure and 30 age-matched controls (mean age: 41 years) were enrolled. Patients were classified into two groups according to the ratio of E/E9: (1) group 1: E/E9 from 8 to 15; (2) group 2: E/E9>15. The measurements were: the time intervals from the R-wave on the ECG to the peak E-wave and the onset of E-wave on the transmitral flow (TMF) (R-pE, R-onset E), to the peak E’-wave and onset of E’-wave on the LV septal wall of TDI (R-pE9, R-onset E’); The time intervals from the onset of P-wave on the ECG to the peak A-wave and onset of A-wave on the TMF (P-pA, P-onset A), to the peak A’-wave and onset of A-wave on TDI (P-pA9, P-onset A’). Results The time intervals were shown in table 1. The time intervals of P-pA9 and P-onset A’ were significantly decreased in group 1 and group 2 compared to the control group respectively (121.1±13.0, 91.6±20.5 vs 157.2±16.3, p Conclusion The time intervals of P wave to A wave on TDI changed earlier than on the pulsed Doppler when the LV filling pressure increased, and it may be a useful new method to evaluate the LV diastolic function in patients with heart diseases.
