Diastolic dysfunction refers to impaired relaxation and filling of the ventricles during diastole. It is a common finding in patients with high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and aging, and is the primary cause of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, a condition where patients have symptoms of heart failure despite a normal pumping strength. Echocardiography is the main tool for diagnosing and grading diastolic dysfunction, using measurements including the E/A ratio of mitral inflow, E/e-prime ratio from tissue Doppler, left atrial volume, and tricuspid regurgitation velocity. Diastolic dysfunction is graded from I to III based on these parameters, with higher grades indicating more severe disease.
Sonography Term