Left ventricular (LV) diastolic properties in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), transmural myocardial infarction (TMI), and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) were evaluated. Radionuclide angiography and M-mode echocardiography were performed for 11 cases of DCM, 40 cases of TMI, 21 cases of HCM, and nine normal control subjects. In DCM, the peak filling rate (PFR) and filling fraction (FF) were significantly reduced, but the time to the peak filling rate (TPFR) was not prolonged. In TMI, both the PFR and FF were significantly reduced. Moreover, the TPFR was significantly prolonged in TMI as compared to DCM. Although depression of the PFR in HCM was not apparent, prolongation of the TPFR in HCM was marked. In DCM, there was good correlation between the PFR and left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) (r = 0.71, p less than 0.03). In TMI, there was a good correlation between the TPFR and the standard deviation of the LV phase angle histogram (SDP), indicating LV asynergy (r = 0.589, p less than 0.005). In HCM, both the FF and PFR correlated inversely with the LV wall thickness (r = -0.74, p less than 0.008; r = -0.581, p less than 0.03, respectively). These results indicate that various factors affect LV diastolic properties in heart disease, and that radionuclide angiography is a valuable technique for evaluating LV diastolic function.