Limitations
The present study was performed at a single center and the number of
subjects was small. Accordingly, the results obtained need to be
confirmed in a larger number of subjects. Furthermore, it was not
possible to evaluate VFM in 3D fields. Blood flow is affected by the
structure of the LV. Therefore, evaluations of blood flow in 3D fields
will be more precise than those in 2D fields. This is a technical
limitation that will be overcome with technological advances in VFM.
Another limitation was the severity of diastolic dysfunction. The
results of the present study showed diastolic dysfunction may affect
peak EL in ED, LD, and Sys. The grading of LV diastolic dysfunction and
comparisons of peak EL in each phase may result in more detailed
assessments. Therefore, the relationship between EL and the grade of
diastolic dysfunction needs to be investigated in more detail in future
studies. The present study also did not evaluate vortexes, which need to
be assessed in each phase.