Age-dependent changes in regional diastolic function evaluated by color Doppler myocardial imaging: a comparison with pulsed Doppler indexes of global function.

The goals of this study were to evaluate possible normal age-related changes in regional myocardial relaxation as detected by color Doppler myocardial imaging (CDMI) velocities and to compare the extent of any such changes with age-induced changes in global diastolic function. In 80 healthy subjects (aged 21 to 72 years, equally subdivided by decades) the mitral flow velocities in early diastole (E) and atrial contraction (A) were recorded as were the velocities of left ventricular (LV) motion of early (EDV) and late diastole (LDV) in the 16 standard LV segments, and their ratios were calculated. In healthy persons younger than 40 years, all segments showed an EDV/LDV ratio > 1, whereas in healthy persons aged 40 years or older the mean EDV of all segments decreased, and the mean LDV increased, resulting in a significant decrease of the mean EDV/LDV ratio with age. Values of EDV/LDV ratios were higher than E/A ratios (P <.0001), but their changes with age correlated well with each other (r = 0.805). With increasing age, an EDV/LDV ratio <1 was observed more often in basal segments (P <.001, compared with mid and apical segments) and less often in segments of anteroseptal and posterior walls viewed from the parasternal window. The presence of >50% segments with an EDV/LDV ratio <1 was associated with an E/A ratio <1. Regional diastolic function indexes as evaluated by CDMI changed with increasing age in a heterogeneous way and influenced global diastolic function parameters.