Tissue Doppler imaging describes diastolic function in men prone to develop hypertension over twenty years.

Aims: Hypertension is one of several risk factors of cardiovascular disease and is associated with left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic dysfunction. A method for reliably detecting the onset of LV dysfunction before transition to irreversible damage of the myocardium would be of crucial importance in subjects with essential hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]