title: Doppler characteristics of late-diastolic flow in the left ventricular outflow tract.
abstract: This study characterizes the relationship between late-diastolic Doppler detected forward flow in the left ventricular outflow tract and diastolic transmitral flow. Pulsed-wave Doppler interrogation of the left ventricular outflow tract, in a prospective consecutive series (n = 137), revealed the presence of end-diastolic forward flow in 83% of the patients studied. Further quantification of both flow signals was performed in 67 patients. Pulsed-wave mapping demonstrated that peak velocity of the end-diastolic left ventricular outflow tract signal (J wave) was maximal, 2.6 +/- 0.7 cm from the aortic valve anulus, and occurred 48 +/- 34 milliseconds after the peak transmitral atrial velocity flow signal. Peak J velocity ranged from 25 to 118 cm per second and correlated with peak A velocity (r = 0.69, p less than 0.001). Peak J velocity was inversely related to left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (r = -0.53, p less than 0.0001) and left ventricular end-diastolic volume (r = -0.43, p less than 0.004). There was no relationship between J wave velocity and early diastolic filling. We concluded that a late-diastolic forward flow signal is commonly observed in the left ventricular outflow tract. It is a manifestation of transmitral atrial systolic flow in the left ventricular outflow tract and is determined predominantly by peak transmitral atrial velocity and left ventricular size.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison 53792.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Jaeger
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Rahko
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000175:diagnosis; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D003971:Diastole; D004452:Echocardiography; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000503:physiopathology; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013997:Time Factors