Diastolic Heart Failure and LV Dyssynchrony

Our knowledge of diastolic heart failure (DHF) is still limited with regard to pathophysiology, diagnosis and clinical treatment. Amongst others, LV dyssynchrony was suggested to be an additional factor involved in the pathogenesis of subgroup of patients with DHF. In 20-30% of patients with DHF a systolic LV dyssynchrony could be detected and about 20% DHF patients evidenced a diastolic dyssyncrony. Both systolic and diastolic dyssynchrony may contribute to the impairment of cardiac function and clinical manifestation in DHF. Opposite to the systolic heart failure, wide QRS complex is uncommon which incriminates that dyssynchrony in DHF is rather related to regional disperse in contractility than to electromechanical coupling delay. Asynchronous LV relaxation and impairment of ventricular restoring forces may also impair the LV filing and lead to a diastolic dyssynchrony. Particularly in patients with preserved LV contractility mechanical LV dyssynchrony induces energy wastage and consequently reduces cardiac reserves. However, up to date it is not clear to what degree LV dyssynchrony is involved in the pathomechanisms of this subpopulation of DHF.