Pressure tracings in mitral stenosis

Pressures in a patient with mitral stenosis are recorded simultaneously from the LA and LV. There is a persistent pressure gradient throughout all of diastole (shaded area) as LA pressure is higher than that in the LV due to significant mitral stenosis. The pressure gradient is greatest during the initial part of diastole, is reduced during diastole as blood flows from the LA into the LV, and then increases at the end of diastole as a result of atrial contraction (A wave).