Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026
Estimating Bilateral Atrial Function by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: July 20, 2022
Automated Echocardiographic Assessment of Left Atrial Remodeling in Atrial Fibrillation Using Dynamic HeartModel and
Xiaoyi Gong1, Manying Xie1, Jiabao Yin1
1Department of Ultrasound, Xiangyang No. 1 People's Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang, China.
Purpose:
To compare left atrial (LA) size, emptying function, and strain among non-atrial fibrillation (AF) controls, patients with paroxysmal AF (PAF), and patients with persistent AF (PeAF) using automated 3D Dynamic HeartModel (DHM) and AutoStrain LA, and to examine their association with AF stage.
Methods:
This retrospective study included 210 participants: 70 non-AF controls, 70 patients with PAF, and 70 patients with PeAF. Controls and patients with PAF were examined during sinus rhythm; acquisition rhythm in PeAF was not uniformly documented. LA volumes and LA ejection fraction (LAEF) were measured using automated 3D DHM, and LA strain was assessed using AutoStrain LA. AF stage was coded as 0, 1, and 2. Multivariable regression analyses evaluated associations with LA volume index (LAVI), LAEF, and LA reservoir strain (LASr). Reproducibility was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients.
Results:
LAVI increased from 29.50 to 38.00 and 58.50 mL/m2 across controls, PAF, and PeAF, whereas LAEF decreased from 65.37% ± 7.39% to 50.70% ± 8.28% and 23.34% ± 6.58%, and LASr decreased from 38.00% to 25.05% and 10.20%, respectively (all p < 0.001). After adjustment, AF stage remained associated with higher LAVI (B = 16.43; 95% CI, 13.69-19.17), lower LAEF (B = -19.11; 95% CI, -20.58 to -17.64), and lower LASr (B = -12.37; 95% CI, -13.57 to -11.18; all p < 0.001). Findings were similar after excluding participants with heart rate >100 bpm. Intra-/inter-observer ICCs were 0.989/0.986 for LAVI, 0.975/0.964 for LAEF, and 0.983/0.977 for LASr.
Conclusion:
Automated 3D DHM and AutoStrain LA demonstrated graded LA enlargement, reduced emptying function, and impaired reservoir strain across AF temporal patterns. These automated measurements showed favorable reproducibility and may help characterize LA structural and functional remodeling in patients with AF.
