Apical left ventricular (LV) wall motion abnormalities have been described in chronic volume overload. To evaluate if these abnormalities are due to an actual hypokinesia we analyzed the percent shortening of apical LV radiants (PS%) by an angiographic computerized method and the endocardial systolic movement (ESM) and thickening (%Th) of the same region using M-mode echocardiographic technique in 11 patients affected by pure aortic regurgitation (AR). In these patients mean apical radii shortening was reduced with respect to normal values. Both %Th and ESM were significantly reduced in AR when compared to normal subjects (24.5 +/- 31.7% vs. 63.8 +/- 35.8%, p less than 0.01 and 4 +/- 7 vs. 10 +/- 3 mm, p less than 0.01, respectively). In addition, %Th and ESM directly correlated with PS% (r = 0.79, p less than 0.01 and r = 0.77, p less than 0.01, respectively). PS% correlated positively with systolic eccentricity and inversely with end-systolic volume index (r = 0.64, p less than 0.05 and r = 0.57, p less than 0.05, respectively). Finally, in AR %Th was related to a normalized peak rate of systolic wall thickening (r = 0.85, p less than 0.01) and to a normalized peak rate of diastolic wall thinning (r = 0.68, p less than 0.05). These results showed that in AR a reduced apical radii percent shortening was associated with a reduced normalized peak rate of systolic wall thickening and of diastolic wall thinning, thus indicating an actual hypokinesis and an impaired contractility. Moreover, the observed abnormalities correlated with an altered LV dynamic geometry linked to chronic volume overload.