Doppler Evaluation of Left Ventricular Compliance and Ventricular Filling Abnormalities

Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction has recently been recognized as an important factor contributing to the signs and symptoms of a number of common cardiovascular disorders. Both invasive and noninvasive measures of left ventricular compliance and ventricular filling have been developed to assist in the clinical documentation of diastolic performance. However, each of these catheterization and Doppler parameters remains limited as a single descriptor of diastolic function, due to the complexity of factors involved in left ventricular filling and distensibility. The purpose of this article is to review the available data relating Doppler transmitral velocities with clinical descriptors and catheterization measures of left ventricular filling and compliance.