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Updated: May 23, 2026

Estimating Bilateral Atrial Function by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: July 20, 2022
Left ventricular posterior wall thickness is an independent risk factor for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation
1Department of Cardiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou Jiangsu Province 215006, China.
Insights
Left ventricular posterior wall thickness is a key predictor of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). This finding, along with other factors, helps identify individuals at risk for this common cardiac arrhythmia.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Research
Background:
- Atrial fibrillation is a prevalent cardiac arrhythmia.
- Risk factors for atrial fibrillation require further clarification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if left ventricular posterior wall thickness is an independent risk factor for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF).
Main Methods:
- 166 patients with PAF and 166 matched healthy controls were analyzed.
- Statistical analyses included univariable, multivariable logistic regression, and ROC curve analysis.
Main Results:
- Left ventricular posterior wall thickness, left atrial diameter, tricuspid insufficiency, and rural residence were identified as independent predictors of PAF.
- ROC curve analysis determined cutoff values for these risk factors.
Conclusions:
- Left ventricular posterior wall thickness, left atrial diameter, tricuspid insufficiency, and residence are predictive risks for PAF.
- These findings offer novel therapeutic insights beyond traditional risk factors.
Background:
Atrial fibrillation is the most common significant cardiac arrhythmia in clinical practice, but its risk factors remain to be clarified. We have hypothesized that left ventricular posterior wall thickness is an independent risk factor for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF).
Methods:
A total of 166 consecutive patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation were included in this study. Another 166 healthy check-up people, strictly age and sex-matched, were enrolled as controls in the same period. Univariable analysis and multivariable conditional logistic stepwise regression analysis were conducted. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed on those significant indices obtained from the multivariable logistic regression analysis.
Results:
The multivariable stepwise analysis identified left ventricular posterior wall thickness, left atrial diameter tricuspid insufficiency and residence (countryside) as independent predictors for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated the cutoff values of those risk factors aforementioned.
Conclusions:
In this strictly age and sex-matched population-based sample, left ventricular posterior wall thickness, left atrial diameter, tricuspid insufficiency and residence were predictive risks for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. This study offers novel information therapeutically beyond that provided by traditional clinical atrial fibrillation risk factors.
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