Although a number of indices of diastolic function based on transmitral flow have been proposed, no single factor seems to be adequate for seperating patients with normal from with abnormal diastolic functions.

Pulsed Doppler echocardiography of pulmonary venous flow(PVF) is another non-invasive method to evaluate left ventricular diastolic performance. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the normal PVF pattern by TEE.

We performed pulsed-wave Doppler studies of the PVF and of the mitral flow by transesophageal-(TEE) and transthoracic echocardiography(TTE) in a healthy young adults.

In TEE, all sublects showed four phases of the PVE pattern ; two antewgrade systolic phase(early and late : SE and SL), one antewgrade diastolic phase(D) and one retrograde diastolic phase(A). In TTE, there were three phases of the PVF pattern ; two antewgrade phase(systolic, diastolic) and one retrograde diastolic phase but we couldn't find out early systolic phase flow. Peak velocity of each phase of PVF was as follows:SE was 48.9±14.1cm/sec, SL was 56.3±16.1cm/sec, D was 52.6±14.9cm/sec. The timing of SL flow was correlated significantly with that of peak aortic flow(r=0.42, p=<0.01), while the timing of D flow and that of A flow were correlated significntly with timing of mitral E peak and A peak, respectively(r=0.84, p<0.01 ; r=0.80, p<0.01).

In the young normal subject, PVF showed four phase of flow pattern and could be easily obtained by TEE. Furthermore it may be used for evaluation of left ventricular function.