Using a needle-probe videomicroscope with a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera, we measured the diameter of subendocardial arterioles and venules during prolonged diastole beyond the time point at which coronary blood flow reached zero. In seven open-chest heart-blocked dogs, a sheathed needle probe with a doughnut-shaped balloon was introduced from the left atrial appendage and advanced into the left ventricle through the mitral valve. The tip of the probe was placed gently on the endocardial surface. Diameters of arterioles (n = 16) and venules (n = 16) at the beginning of long diastole ranged from 40 to 126 microns and from 32 to 192 microns, respectively. After cardiac arrest, the arteriolar diameter gradually declined with aortic pressure. Arteriolar diameters at zero flow decreased by 28 +/- 9% (mean +/- SD) compared with the initial diameter (P < .01). However, none of the subendocardial arterioles collapsed at zero flow or at 12 seconds after the beginning of prolonged diastole (8 to 9 seconds after zero flow) in an additional experiment (n = 5). In contrast to arteriolar diameter, venular diameter increased during prolonged diastole. Venular diameter at zero flow increased by 14 +/- 12% compared with the initial diameter (P < .01). We conclude that during prolonged diastole, when coronary arterial inflow ceases, subendocardial arteriolar diameter decreases without any visible collapse, whereas venular diameter increases.