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Updated: Aug 24, 2026
Estimating Bilateral Atrial Function by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: July 20, 2022
Assessment of left atrial volume by contrast enhanced magnetic resonance angiography
Thomas H Hauser1, Seth McClennen, George Katsimaglis
1Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Insights
Left atrial (LA) volume, crucial for cardiovascular health, can now be accurately measured using contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA). This technique closely correlates with end-diastolic cine magnetic resonance (MR) measurements, offering a reliable assessment of LA size.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Medical Physics
Background:
- Left atrial (LA) volume is a significant predictor of cardiovascular morbidity, including atrial fibrillation.
- Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) is used to visualize the LA, but its accuracy for volume measurement requires validation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the validity of LA volume measurements obtained through CE-MRA.
- To compare CE-MRA derived LA volumes with traditional cine magnetic resonance (MR) measurements.
Main Methods:
- CE-MRA and cine MR imaging were performed on 18 patients undergoing evaluation for atrial fibrillation ablation.
- LA volumes from CE-MRA were compared to cine MR volumes at maximal LA size and end-diastole using linear regression and limits of agreement analysis.
Main Results:
- CE-MRA LA volumes showed a strong correlation with maximal cine MR LA volumes (R2 = 0.86) but with wide limits of agreement (-54 to 3 mL).
- CE-MRA LA volumes demonstrated a very strong correlation with end-diastolic cine MR LA volumes (R2 = 0.98) with narrow limits of agreement (-8 to 11 mL).
Conclusions:
- CE-MRA LA volumes closely approximate end-diastolic cine MR LA volumes.
- CE-MRA is a potentially useful and validated method for assessing left atrial size.
Abstract:
Left atrial (LA) volume is associated with cardiovascular morbidity, particularly atrial fibrillation. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) visualizes the LA, but the validity of LA volume measurements using this technique has not been evaluated. We performed CE-MRA and cine magnetic resonance (MR) in 18 consecutive patients referred for CE-MRA prior to atrial fibrillation ablation. The CE-MRA LA volumes were compared to cine MR LA volumes at the maximal LA size and at LA end-diastole using linear regression and limits of agreement analysis. The mean cine MR LA volume was 118 +/- 39 mL at maximal LA size and 91 +/- 38 mL at LA end-diastole. Left atrial volume determined by CE-MRA was 93 +/- 38 mL. Although the CE-MRA LA volume had a strong correlation with the maximal cine MR LA volume (R2 = 0.86, p < 0.001), the 95% limits of agreement were relatively wide (-54 to 3 mL). The cine MR LA end-diastolic and CE-MRA LA volumes were more closely correlated (R2 = 0.98, p < 0.001) with narrow 95% limits of agreement (-8 to 11 mL). The CE-MRA LA volumes correspond most closely to LA end-diastolic cine MR LA volumes and may be a useful measure of LA size.
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