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Figure 1 Pulsed-wave Doppler recordings of mitral inflow velocities from predominant relaxation abnormality (left), normal or pseudonormal (center), and restrictive (right) filling patterns. Abnormal relaxation is the earliest diastolic abnormality with characteristic reduction in early diastolic velocity (E) and prolongation of deceleration time (DT). Usually, filling pressure is not elevated as long as there is adequate diastolic filling time. As diastolic filling pressure increases, E velocity increases, duration of late diastolic velocity (A) becomes truncated (right), and DT becomes shortened. When filling pressure is markedly elevated, there may be diastolic mitral regurgitation (arrow in the right figure). Reproduced with permission from Oh JK, Seward JB, Tajik AJ, editors. Echo Manual. 2nd edition. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins, 1999.