Quantification of the left atrium applying cardiovascular magnetic resonance in clinical routine

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging
• Cardiovascular Physiology

Background:

• The left atrium (LA) plays a crucial role in various cardiovascular diseases.
• Establishing normative data for LA parameters is essential for accurate diagnosis and monitoring.
• Standardized, fast imaging techniques are needed for routine clinical application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish reference values for left atrial (LA) parameters in healthy volunteers using a rapid cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) approach.
• To assess the influence of age and sex on LA size and function.
• To validate a fast imaging protocol for routine LA assessment.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 203 healthy volunteers using steady-state free precession (SSFP) cine sequences at 1.5 T and 3.0 T.
• Quantification of left atrial end-diastolic volume (LA-EDV), end-systolic volume (LA-ESV), stroke volume (LA-SV), and ejection fraction (LA-EF).
• Indexing of volumetric parameters to body-surface-area (BSA) and analysis of age and sex dependencies.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in LA parameters were observed between 1.5 T and 3.0 T scanners.
• Absolute LA volumes (LA-EDV, LA-ESV) were larger in men than women but normalized for BSA.
• Left atrial end-diastolic volume indexed to BSA (LA-EDV/BSA) showed a significant decrease with increasing age.

Conclusions:

• Reference values for LA size and function derived from a fast CMR approach are presented.
• LA size, when indexed to body size, demonstrates independence from sex.
• Clinicians should report LA parameters indexed to body size, considering the age-related decline in LA size.