A study was carried out on 59 patients with significant stenosis (greater than or equal to 75%) in at least one coronary vessel. For each parietal region of the left ventricle the pattern of contraction was defined through a study of the regional deformation as vectorial time-dependent parameter and of the construction of the pressure-length loops. The different models obtained in basal conditions and through intervention (nitroglycerin and post-extrasystolic potentiation) were correlated with experimental data on ischemic alterations of the regional mechanical performance.