[Relaxation and filling of the left ventricle measured by computer analysis of the unidimensional (M-type) echocardiogram in healthy subjects and patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy].

The indices of systolic and earli diastolic function (relaxation and rapid filling) were established in 16 healthy subjects and 35 patients with idiopathic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy by computer analysis ("Echocomputer" RIEMT--MA, Sofia) and left ventricular and mitral valve M-type echocardiogram. In a considerable part of the partients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, pathological changes were established in the diastolic function of left ventricle--lengthening of iso-voluminal relaxition, reduction of velocity and increase of the dimension of left ventricular cavity, reduction of velocity and fraction of blood flow in the phase of rapid filling of left ventricle. Those changes of diastolic function are a manifestation of increased resistance, restriction of left ventricular filling that could partially explain the tendency to reduction of stroke and minute volume in some patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with normal and increased indices of systolic function of left ventricle (fraction of shortening, ejection fraction, veloycity of reduction of dimension of left ventricle in the phase of ejection)? There is considerable correlation between the changes of diastolic function and those of the hypetrophic process and reduction of left ventricular cavity. The computer analysis of the echogram, enables the more detailed, fast and accurate determination of important indices of diastolic and systolic function of left ventricle, with a good repeated reproducibility.