The role of apically directed intraventricular isovolumic relaxation flow in speeding early diastolic left ventricular filling.

Left ventricular (LV) systolic performance has been acknowledged to have a close relation to LV early diastolic filling and LV relaxation. However, the mechanism showing how good LV systolic function enhances the LV early diastolic filling has not been fully elucidated from the viewpoint of intraventricular flow dynamics. Thus, we investigated this issue in 82 patients with suggested coronary artery disease who underwent cardiac catheterization.