Diastolic Function
How well the left ventricle relaxes and fills during diastole. Impaired diastolic function is the central pathophysiology of HFpEF.
Diastolic function describes the ability of the left ventricle to relax after each contraction and accept blood from the left atrium without elevated filling pressures. It is assessed echocardiographically through a combination of Doppler measurements (mitral inflow E and A velocities, tissue Doppler e’ velocities) and structural markers (LA volume, LV mass).
The 2016 ASE / EACVI algorithm grades diastolic function into normal, indeterminate, and grades I–III based on these parameters. Diastolic dysfunction is mandatory for HFpEF diagnosis and is increasingly recognized as a target of treatment (SGLT2 inhibitors, sacubitril-valsartan).
AI-assisted echo automates the multi-parameter diastolic-function algorithm, reducing the time and inter-observer variability of grading.