The figure at the right shows the changes in aortic pressure (AP), left ventricular pressure (LVP) and left atrial pressure (LAP) that can be observed during the cardiac cycle with aortic regurgitation. These pressures differ from those that normally occur (compare with normal cardiac cycle) in that the aortic pulse pressure is greatly increased because of a lower diastolic pressure and elevated systolic pressure. Furthermore, the LAP and LVP pressures are elevated during ventricular filling because of the increased ventricular volume.
Early in the course of regurgitant aortic valve disease, there is a large increase in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and left atrial pressure. The ventricle and atria function on a stiffer portion of their compliance curves so that the increased volume results in a large rise in pressure. With long-standing regurgitation and volume overload of the chambers, the ventricles and atria dilate so that the increased volume does not result in an exceptionally large increase in pressure. In other words, remodeling of the chambers results in increased chamber compliance and more normal filling pressures.
The changes in ventricular pressures and volumes during aortic regurgitation are best illustrated using ventricular pressure-volume loops.