Effects of nifedipine on transmitral Doppler blood flow velocity profile in patients with concentric left ventricular hypertrophy.

To examine the effects of calcium channel blockade on left ventricular diastolic function, transmitral blood flow was evaluated by Doppler echocardiography following administration of sublingual nitroglycerin and nifedipine in 10 younger normal subjects and in 10 subjects with concentric left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and abnormal Doppler transmitral flow patterns. Nitroglycerin decreased peak early filling velocity (E velocity) in both normal (p less than 0.01) and LVH subjects (p less than 0.05) but did not significantly alter peak late filling velocity (A velocity), early filling velocity time integral (VTI E), or late velocity time integral (VTI A). In normal subjects, nifedipine decreased E velocity (p less than 0.01) but did not significantly change A velocity, VTI E, or VTI A. In LVH subjects nifedipine increased E velocity (p less than 0.05) as well as VTI E (p less than 0.05) and the ratio of VTI E/VTI A (p less than 0.05). Thus nifedipine, unlike nitroglycerin, improves the transmitral Doppler flow profile in patients with concentric LVH.