[Modifications of contractility after left ventriculography. A new test in evaluation of myocardial function]

The action of the contrast material over the various contractility indices was assessed five minutes after left ventriculography. There was an increase of the contractility index in normal subjects. On the contrary, in coronary patients, the contractility function remained unchanged or was depressed, related to the presence or not, of signs of cardiac failure. Depression of the various indices was noted in subjects with primary cardiomyopathy. After recalling the mechanism of action of the contrast products on the cardiovascular haemodynamic parameters, the following practical conclusions were drawn in relation with a series of 65 cases of coronary heart disease: the late diastolic left ventricular pressure remained lower than 20 mmHg after ventriculography in the subjects with a normal ejection fraction; it incraeased between 20 and 30 mmHg in most of the subjects with an ejection fraction ranging from 0.4 and 0.6, finally it was constantly found above 35 mmHg in the subjects with severely disturbed ventricular contraction with an ejection fraction lower than 0.4. These results underline the interest of this simple test, easy to perform, consisting in measuring the left ventricular late diastolic pressure before and 5 minutes after left ventriculography.