Increased regional left ventricular function frequently occurs in the nonischemic myocardium after acute coronary occlusion. To further define the regional and global effects of this increased remote function in the ischemic left ventricle, 22 dogs were studied with two-dimensional echocardiography before and 1 h after left circumflex coronary artery occlusion. Two groups of dogs were identified with and without compensatory increased regional left ventricular function, defined as regional wall thickening in the nonischemic zone greater than 2 SD above baseline. After coronary occlusion, nonischemic wall thickening was 76 +/- 15% in the hyperfunction group (n = 11) and 45 +/- 14% in the nonhyperfunction group (n = 11) (p less than 0.001). Despite similar left ventricular end-diastolic cavity areas and equivalent degrees of ischemic wall thinning, dogs with increased left ventricular function in the nonischemic myocardium had a smaller extent of circumferential left ventricular dysfunction (136 +/- 33 versus 170 +/- 43 degrees, p less than 0.001) and a higher area ejection fraction (38 +/- 9% versus 27 +/- 6%, p less than 0.001). These functional differences occurred despite similar myocardial areas at risk by autoradiography (41 +/- 6% versus 37 +/- 12%, p = NS). The data suggest that increased left ventricular function in the nonischemic myocardium determines the global functional impact of acute coronary occlusion and, through interaction with adjacent myocardium, modifies the extent of circumferential left ventricular dysfunction.