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Estimating Bilateral Atrial Function by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
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Clinical implications of left atrial enlargement: a review

Dharmendrakumar A Patel, Carl J Lavie, Richard V Milani

    Ochsner Journal
    |May 24, 2011
    PubMed

    Insights

    Left atrial size, measured by echocardiography, predicts cardiovascular outcomes. Routine assessment of left atrial size may identify preclinical cardiovascular disease risk.

    Area of Science:

    • Cardiology
    • Medical Imaging

    Background:

    • Left atrial (LA) size is a significant predictor of cardiovascular (CV) outcomes.
    • LA enlargement has established pathophysiologic determinants and clinical implications.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To review the physiology and echocardiographic assessment of LA size and functions.
    • To describe the pathophysiologic determinants and clinical implications of LA enlargement.

    Main Methods:

    • Review of existing literature on echocardiographic assessment of LA size.
    • Analysis of pathophysiologic factors contributing to LA enlargement.
    • Evaluation of clinical implications of LA size in cardiovascular disease.

    Main Results:

    • Echocardiographically determined LA size is a significant predictor of CV outcomes.
    • Standardized LA size assessment and its clinical applicability require further determination.
    • LA size may serve as a crucial risk identifier in preclinical CV disease.

    Conclusions:

    • Echocardiographically determined LA size is a valuable metric for predicting CV outcomes.
    • Routine echocardiographic evaluation should include LA size assessment.
    • Further standardization is needed for widespread clinical application.

    Keywords:
    Atrial fibrillationdiastolic dysfunctionechocardiographyleft atrial sizemortalitystroke

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