Assessing Strength and Reproducibility of Left Atrial – Left Ventricular Strain Coupling

Motivation: Left atrial (LA)-left ventricular (LV) longitudinal strain coupling has been investigated to better illuminate cardiac pathophysiology. However, assessment based on circumferential strain has not been done, nor has the reproducibility of this measure been established. Goal(s): This study's aims were to assess the strength and reproducibility of circumferential and longitudinal LA-LV strain coupling across systole, diastole, and the entire cardiac cycle. Approach: LA-LV strain correlations were assessed via feature-tracking MRI in a test-retest healthy cohort. Results: Strong correlations were found between LA-LV global longitudinal strain with LA-LV correlations approaching 1:1 amongst all strain types during systole. LA-LV correlation during systole was highly reproducible. Impact: This study establishes that left atrial circumferential and longitudinal strain are moderately-to-strongly correlated with left ventricular strain in healthy volunteers. Within ventricular systole, this measure demonstrates high reproducibility. This LA-LV coupling coefficient should be further explored in cardiac pathologies.