End-systolic and end-diastolic left atrial volume assessment by two-dimensional echocardiography: a comparison study...

The left atrial volume (LAV) is an important indicator of the severity of certain diseases, and measuring LAV through the cardiac cycle may enable the evaluation of various left atrium (LA) functional parameters. The results of two-dimensional (2D) echocardiographic LAV measurement methods vary, and no technique is accepted as being optimal.

This study compared the accuracy of end-systolic and end-diastolic LAV measurements by 2D echocardiography with those obtained by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Fifty consecutive patients who underwent both echocardiography and MRI due to clinical reasons with nonselective cardiac disease were studied. LAVs by 2D echocardiography were obtained with the prolate ellipsoid (PE), biplane area-length (AL), and modified Simpson's (MS) methods.

End-systolic and end-diastolic LAVs calculated by each method correlated significantly with MRI results (P < 0.0001). The prolate ellipsoid method provided LAVs that most correlated with MRI results, and the biplane area-length and modified Simpson's methods provided LAVs with small mean differences (<5 ml) compared to MRI results.

All three methods of 2D echocardiographic LAV measurement provide valuable LAV data, suggesting the possibility of evaluating various LA functional parameters.