Characterization of left atrial remodelling and atrial fibrillation subtype using fractal analysis of late gadolinium enhanced MRI

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is a heart rhythm disorder of the left atrium (LA) that is associated with an increased risk of stroke and death. AF has been known to induce morphological changes of the LA that may be detectable with fractal analysis. The purpose of this study was to assess whether there are differences in fractal dimension of the LA based on AF severity or subtype. The paroxysmal AF groups demonstrated increased fractal dimension compared to persistent or permanent groups. LA dilatation associated with persistent or permanent AF may explain this result, but this requires validation in a larger cohort.