The aim of this study is to assess the left ventricular filling and estimate the end-diastolic pressure of the left ventricle in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) by echocardiographic measurement of the atrioventricular plane displacement (AVPD). In 101 patients (mean age 59 +/- 12 years) with CAD, a complete transthoracic echocardiographic study was performed, just prior to cardiac catheterization. The AVPD was recorded by M-mode echocardiography, from apical four and two chamber views. The recordings were obtained at four sites, corresponding to the septal, lateral, anterior and inferior walls of the left ventricle. The mean AVPD resulting from atrial systole (At), the mean total (T) diastolic AVPD, the ratio At/T(%) and the ratio of mitral annulus excursion during early and late diastole [(T-At)/At] were calculated. Firty-two age-matched healthy subjects served as control group. Both At and At/T were significantly greater in patients with CAD than in the controls (6.06 +/- 0.94 vs 5.53 +/- 0.55 mm, p < 0.01 and 43.4 +/- 5.9% vs 33.49 +/- 4.45%, p < 0.001 respectively). The ratio [(T-At)/At] correlated with the E/A ratio of transmitral flow, both in healthy subjects (r = 0.850, p < 0.001) and in patients with CAD (r = 0.722, p < 0.001). Correlation also existed both in patients with segmental wall motion abnormality (SWMA) (r = 0.691, p < 0.001) and in patients with SWMA (r = 0.818, p < 0.001). In patients with CAD, At/T further correlated with the left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (r = 0.517, p < 0.001). In patients with SWMA and in patients without, a correlation was also found (r = 0.516, p < 0.001 and r = 0.566, p < 0.001 respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)