Asynchronous ventricular relaxation: an angiographic temporal analysis of asynchronous left ventricular relaxation in man.

Segmental "early relaxation" is a common angiographic finding. An attempt was made to elucidate the temporal characteristics of this event. Twenty subjects with and 20 without segmental early relaxation were studied. The left ventricular diastolic relaxation time was precisely determined angiographically, and the findings were as follows: 0.12 +/- 0.04 second (mean +/- standard deviation) in the normal patients, 0.14 +/- 0.03 second in the patients with coronary artery disease but no segmental early relaxation and 0.20 +/- 0.04 second in the patients with segmental early relaxation. These findings indicate that early relaxation is associated with a significantly prolonged ventricular relaxation time. The use of the term asynchronous ventricular relaxation is proposed to denote the disturbed diastolic properties of the ventricle with "early relaxation."