Left atrial volume predicts cardiovascular events in patients originally diagnosed with lone atrial fibrillation: three-decade follow-up

Abstract

Patients originally diagnosed with benign lone AF follow divergent courses based on LAV. Those originally diagnosed with lone AF and normal sized atria had a benign clinical course throughout the long-term follow-up. Patients with increased LAV at diagnosis or later during the follow-up experienced adverse events.

The significance of the left atrial volume index in cardioversion success and its relationship with recurrence in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation subjected to electrical cardioversion: a study on diagnostic accuracy

“…In our study, when the parameters of age, female sex, BMI and LVMI were individually evaluated, they were observed to be associated with the ECV success and/or the recurrence of AF after a successful ECV. Various clinical and echocardiographic studies have suggested that any diastolic dysfunction accompanying these parameters may affect the LA structure and function in a way to lead to atrial fibrillation and the recurrence of AF after the cardioversion (12)(13)(14). The echocardiographically determined LA size is known to be closely associated with the development of AF, and the LA size has been reported to be an independent predictor of the sinus rhythm restoration after the cardioversion (15,16).…”

Cardiac cycle–dependent left atrial dynamics: Implications for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation

“…The size of the left atrium is an important determinant of prognosis (20)(21)(22) and predicts the likelihood of AF recurrence after restoration to normal sinus rhythm (23). It is unclear if LAMAX is a more important predictor of prognosis and response to therapy than traditional measures of left atrial size.…”

Untreated atrial fibrillation in the United Kingdom: Understanding the barriers and treatment options

“…Likewise, several transthoracic echocardiographic parameters have shown promising value in the prediction of stroke/thromboembolism [50][51][52][53][54] or surrogate markers of stroke [55][56][57][58][59]. These include left atrial (LA) size measured on M-mode [50], indexed LA volume [51], left ventricular ejection fraction [57], E/E 0 ratio [52] and peak systolic LA strain rates assessed through speckletracking [54].…”

“…These include left atrial (LA) size measured on M-mode [50], indexed LA volume [51], left ventricular ejection fraction [57], E/E 0 ratio [52] and peak systolic LA strain rates assessed through speckletracking [54]. The presence of LA appendage thrombi, dense spontaneous echocardiographic contrast, LA appendage peak flow velocities <20 cm/s or complex aortic plaque associates with increased thromboembolic risk [60,61].…”