Left (LV) and right ventricular (RV) filling was evaluated by pulsed doppler echocardiography in 56 hypertensive (HTN) untreated patients and in 30 normotensive (N) subjects, matched for age, body surface and heart rate. HTN were classified in two groups: HTN1: with normal LV mass index (LV mi) (< 135 g.m-2 for men, < or = 115 g.m.-2 for women); HTN2: with increased LV mi (> or = 135 g.m-2 for men, > or = 115 g.m-2 for women). All subjects had normal systolic function by echo. We derived: LV wall thickness (h), antero-posterior radius (r), h/r ratio, LV mi, ratio of early to late filling (E/A) in both ventricle. RESULTS. h and h/r were significantly in HTN1 (p < 0.01 vs N) and particularly in HTN2 (p < 0.001 vs N and HTA1). E/ALV and E/ARV were significantly decreased (p < 0.001) in both HTA compared to N. There was no significant difference between HTN1 and HTN2 concerning E/ALV and E/ARV. Relations of E/ALV and E/ARV with age, systolic blood pressure (SBP), LV mi, h, h/r: [table: see text] E/ALV is correlated to E/ARV (r = 0.37; p < 0.01) only in HTA. CONCLUSIONS. 1) In HTN in comparison with N: h, h/r are higher in the presence but also in the absence of increased LV mi. 2) In N and HTN: E/ALV and E/ARV are better correlated to h (and also to h/r in N) than to LV mi. Though the respective values of E/ALV and E/ARV are identical, they are correlated significantly only in HTN. 3) In the absence of the direct measures of the RV pressures and volumes, the interpretation of the results concerning the RV filling in uncertain. Only in HTN, they could be explained at least in part by the diastolic interplay between the two ventricles.