Isovolumic relaxation period in man.

Isovolumic relaxation period (IRP) was measured noninvasively from the onset of the aortic component of the second heart sound on the phonocardiogram to the point of separation of the mitral leaflets on the echocardiogram. IRP was measured in 83 patients with different cardiac diseases. The duration of IRP was 58 +/- 11 msec. in normal subjects. It was prolonged in hypertension (p < 0.001), HOCM (p < 0.001), in aortic stenosis (p < 0.05), and aortic incompetence (p < 0.001), and was shortened in congestive cardiomyopathyl (p < 0.05) and mitral stenosis (p < 0.01). In patients with coronary artery disease and normal over-all systolic LV function, IRP was prolonged (p < 0.001); IRP was shortened in four patients with coronary disease who had severe LV dysfunction and severe additional mitral incompetence. IRP was related to systemic blood pressure, percentage shortening of the LV in systole, and to the mitral EF slope. It tended to increase with increasing heart rate and a regression equation was developed for predicting IRP in relation to blood pressure and heart rate in normal sbjects. There was no relation to the PR-Ac time or to isovolumic contraction time. IRP is a useful measurement of LV dynamics in early diastole.