Left Atrial Appendage Flow Velocity and Multiple Infarcts in Cryptogenic Stroke

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Neurology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Cryptogenic stroke often presents with multiple infarcts.
• A hypothesis suggests embolic origins due to left atrial appendage (LAA) dysfunction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between LAA flow velocity (LAA-FV) and multiple infarcts in cryptogenic stroke patients.
• To validate the role of LAA dysfunction in embolic stroke.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective observational study of 786 cryptogenic stroke patients.
• Assessed infarct multiplicity using diffusion-weighted MRI.
• Measured LAA peak emptying flow velocity (LAA-FV) via transesophageal echocardiography (TEE).

Main Results:

• 34% of patients had multiple infarcts.
• Multiple infarcts decreased with increasing LAA-FV quartiles (p<0.001).
• Higher LAA-FV was associated with a lower risk of multiple infarcts (aOR 0.39 in the highest quartile).

Conclusions:

• Reduced LAA-FV is associated with multiple infarcts in cryptogenic stroke.
• Findings support LAA dysfunction as a cause of embolic stroke in cryptogenic stroke with multiple infarcts.