Diastolic filling and pressure imaging: taking advantage of the information in a colour M-mode Doppler image.

The ability to derive non-invasively information on left ventricular diastolic function on one hand and pressure gradients on the other hand, makes Doppler ultrasound a very attractive tool in clinical practice. However, the limitations of the standard Doppler approaches in differentiating between normal and pseudonormal filling patterns, together with the limitations of the simplified Bernoulli equation for assessing pressure gradients, are well described. In this manuscript the role of colour M-mode Doppler echocardiography as a tool that can overcome these limitations is discussed. Relevant key concepts of the haemodynamics of left ventricular filling and its relationship with colour M-mode Doppler echocardiography are introduced.