Comparison of linear versus cubic assessment of left atrial size in the prediction of atrial fibrillation development in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Left atrial (LA) enlargement evaluated by echocardiography is a very strong predictor of cardiovascular (CV) outcomes such as atrial fibrillation (AF), stroke, congestive heart failure, and CV death in multiple clinical settings [1,2]. As a consequence, researchers have focused their attention on the best method to assess LA size. Left atrium is a thin-walled cardiac chamber directly exposed to left ventricular (LV) pressure during diastole, which represents its afterload. In particular, in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), almost all patients have some degree of LV diastolic dysfunction.

Source: International Journal of Cardiology - March 16, 2016 Category: Cardiology Authors: Alessandra Giamundo, Grazia Canciello, Antonio Rapacciuolo, Francesca Musella, Gianluigi Savarese, Teresa Strisciuglio, Eugenio Stabile, Raffaele Izzo, Bruno Trimarco, Maria Angela Losi Source Type: research