The role of short- and long-axis function in determining late diastolic left ventricular filling in patients with hypertension: assessment by pulsed Doppler tissue imaging.

Left ventricular (LV) wall motion velocity during atrial systole is mediated by both transmitral flow and LV myocardial compliance at end-diastole. LV wall distensibility along the long- and short-axis during atrial systole and late diastolic LV filling may vary according to the remodeling of LV morphology. We measured LV wall motion velocities along the long and short axes using pulsed Doppler tissue imaging in 127 patients with hypertension to evaluate the relationship between the hemodynamic changes and LV morphology and to determine the role of both long- and short-axis function in late diastolic LV filling. Participants were classified into 3 groups according to LV dimension and end-diastolic wall thickness determined by M-mode echocardiography: group A (n = 62) without LV dilation or hypertrophy, group B (n = 55) with LV hypertrophy, and group C (n = 10) with LV dilation and systolic dysfunction. The time constant of the LV pressure decay during isovolumic diastole and the LV end-diastolic pressure were longest and greatest, respectively, in group C, compared with groups B and A. There were no significant differences in active left atrial emptying volume during atrial contraction determined by computerized echocardiographic 3-dimensional reconstruction among patient and control groups. The peak atrial systolic motion velocity of the LV posterior wall along the long axis was significantly lower in groups B and C, particularly in the latter group, than in group A. The peak atrial systolic motion velocity of the LV posterior wall along the short axis was greatest in group B and was lowest in group C compared with the other groups, respectively. The peak atrial systolic motion velocity of the LV posterior wall was greater along the long axis than the short axis in group A, but was less than the short axis in group B. In conclusion, the long- and short-axis function of the LV wall during atrial systole varies in patients with hypertension according to the severity of hemodynamic and morphologic abnormalities. The degree of LV wall expansion along the short axis is an important factor resulting from the atrial kick, and a determinant of its effectiveness.