Left ventricular diastolic filling in patients with coronary artery disease and normal left ventricular function

Abnormal left ventricular diastolic filling (DF) has been noted in coronary disease (CD) patients with normal left ventricular function (NLVF). Inclusion of patients with regional wall disease, hypertension, and left ventricular hypertrophy may be responsible for abnormal DF. We evaluated left ventricular DF curves derived from gated blood pool scans in 21 normals (group 1), in 38 CD patients with NLVF specifically defined (group 2), and in 28 CD patients with ejection fractions greater than 50% and regional disease (group 3). The peak filling rate (PFR), mean filling rate (MFR), the percentage of stroke volume filled at one third of diastole (%SV-1/3 DT) and at the end of the rapid filling period (%SV-RFP) were determined. Groups 1 and 2 had similar DF parameters. Group 2 patients with 75% obstructive left anterior descending disease (LAD) had a reduced %SV-RFP and PFR (2.56 +/- 0.56 end-diastolic volumes/sec [EDV/S]) as compared to normals (3.11 +/- 0.65 EDV/S, p less than 0.01). Group 3 patients had a reduced PFR (2.14 +/- 0.53 EDV/S, p less than 0.001), MFR, %SV-1/3 DT, and %SV-RFP. DF in CD patients with NLVF was similar to normals in a select group of patients but was abnormal in patients with regional disease and greater than 75% LAD disease with NLVF.