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Updated: Aug 24, 2026

Estimating Bilateral Atrial Function by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
08:10

Estimating Bilateral Atrial Function by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation

Published on: July 20, 2022

P-wave durations as a predictor for atrial fibrillation development in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Ozcan Ozdemir1, Mustasa Soylu, Ahmet Duran Demir

  • 1Cardiology Department, Turkey Yuksek Yhtisas Hospital, 06200 Ankara, Turkey. drozdemir75@yahoo.com

International Journal of Cardiology
|April 20, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Atrial fibrillation (AF) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is predicted by left atrial diameter and P wave dispersion (PWD). These markers help identify high-risk patients for timely treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Electrophysiology
  • Cardiovascular Imaging

Background:

  • Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), often leading to acute deterioration.
  • P wave dispersion (PWD) is a proposed marker for estimating paroxysmal AF, reflecting atrial conduction.
  • Identifying predictors of AF in HCM is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine clinical, echocardiographic, and electrocardiographic predictors of AF occurrence in patients with HCM.
  • To assess the diagnostic accuracy of P wave duration (Pmax), PWD, and left atrial (LA) diameter in predicting AF in HCM patients.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective comparison of 27 HCM patients with documented AF against 53 age- and gender-matched HCM patients without AF.
  • Analysis of clinical, echocardiographic (LA diameter, LV outflow tract gradient), and electrocardiographic (Pmax, PWD, PTF1) parameters.
  • Statistical evaluation of sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values for identified predictors.

Main Results:

  • Patients with AF had significantly greater LA diameter and lower LV outflow tract gradient compared to controls.
  • Higher Pmax, PWD, and PTF1 values were observed in patients with AF.
  • A PWD > 52.5 ms showed 96% sensitivity and 91% specificity for AF prediction.
  • An LA diameter > 4.2 cm demonstrated 96% sensitivity and 81% specificity for AF prediction.

Conclusions:

  • Left atrial diameter and P wave dispersion are significant predictors of AF occurrence in HCM patients.
  • Measuring Pmax and PWD can effectively identify high-risk individuals for AF.
  • These findings support tailored treatment and follow-up protocols for HCM patients at high risk of AF.

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