Methods for assessing the diastolic distensibility of the left ventricle

Abstract

The most important property of the myocardium that determines the filling of the left ventricle (LV) of the heart is its distensibility. The simplest method of its assessment is the ratio of pressure and LV volume at the end of the diastole. Active relaxation of the myocardium is determined by the work of calcium pumps, and passive relaxation is determined by sarcomere proteins and, first of all, by connectin – titin. The paper compares 6 calculated indices of LV diastolic stiffness of the heart, compares their stability, variations and correlation coefficients from various parameters of hemodynamics. It is shown that only the diastolic stiffness index No. 4, which takes into account LV stiffness at the beginning and end of diastole, showed a weak dependence on LV, heart rate and other parameters of LV hemodynamics of the heart. Therefore, this index can be used in the future to assess the distensibility of the heart in various pathologies.