Ventricular diastolic function of the heart in systemic hypertension

Abnormalities in left ventricular (LV) diastolic function in hypertension have been more extensively investigated in recent years because of the availability of reliable noninvasive methods applicable to this type of ventricular functional analysis. Moreover, such approaches allowed investigation of the factors influencing LV diastolic function indexes and permitted development of correction or normalization indexes. More research has been done recently aiming at understanding the physiologic importance of LV diastolic dysfunction in hypertension; the preliminary results in this area suggest that LV diastolic dysfunction may be linked to alterations in the regional cardiopulmonary dynamics and in cardiopulmonary receptor activity. More questions, however, need to be answered with regard to the relative and integrative role of the various aspects of LV diastolic function and about the sequential alterations in the various indexes of LV diastolic function in hypertension.