The effect of sublingual and intravenous nitroglycerin (SLNTG and IVNTG) on left ventricular global and segmental systolic function was quantitatively assessed with two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) in 28 cases of myocardial infarction (MI), including a group without heart failure of 13 and another group with heart failure of 15. The results showed that after SLNTG and IVNTG the left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes were significantly decreased in both groups (P < 0.05-0.001), the left ventricular global systolic function was improved particularly in MI patients with heart failure during IVNTG. The wall motion in the normal and/or hypokinetic segments was enhanced after both SLNTG and IVNTG. It was shown that nitroglycerin could strengthen the left ventricular global systolic function in patients with MI.