Mitral annulus velocity measured by doppler tissue imaging (DTI) has been used as a method of evaluation of the left ventricular diastolic function. This study was aimed to evaluate the left ventricular diastolic function using the mitral annulus velocity measured by DTI in the patients with hypertension.

One hundered twenty nine patients with blood pressure above 140/90mmHg and age sex matched 123 normotensive subjects were studied. For measuring the mitral annulus velocities by DTI, we used the 2.5 MHz probe (Sequoia, Accuson) in apical four chamber view with the sample volume at the septal portion of the mitral annulus.

Mitral annular velocities were easily obtained from all subjects. In the hypertension group, mitral annulus E'velocity was significantly lower than normotensive controls (5.4 1.3 cm/sec vs 6.5 1.8 cm/sec, p<0.001) and mitral annulus A' velocity was significantly higher than normotensive controls (8.6 1.4 cm/sec vs 7.9 1.1 cm/sec, p<0.001). In comparison with patients with normal LVML(IV mass index in hypertension group and subjects with normal LVMI in normotensive controls, mitral annulus E'velocity was reduced in patients with normal LVMI in hypertension group compared with subjects with normal LVMI in normotensive controls (5.6 1.4 cm/sec vs 6.7 1.8 cm/sec, p<0.001).

Mitral annulus velocity measured by DTI could be used as one of the parameters in evaluating the early changes of left ventricular diastolic function in the patient with hypertension.