Key result
Gastroesophageal disorders like hiatal hernia are the leading cause of extrinsic LA compression presenting with dyspnea.
Why the study?
Extrinsic compression of the left atrium is rare, underrecognized, and can cause significant hemodynamic compromise, but available evidence was largely limited to isolated case reports and small series.
Design
Structured review of published case reports and case series plus two institutional cases
Authors
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Supports TTE as first-line for extrinsic left atrial compression; confirms CT necessity for hiatal hernia etiology.
Transthoracic echocardiography is a crucial first-line tool for identifying extrinsic left atrial compression, which is most commonly caused by hiatal hernias and requires cross-sectional imaging for definitive etiological diagnosis.
Borizanova et al. (2026) studied this question. Gastroesophageal disorders, primarily hiatal hernia, are the most frequent cause of extrinsic left atrial compression, which typically presents with dyspnea and is detected by echocardiography.
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