Is abnormal atrial substrate (atrial cardiopathy) associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke?
Evidence of abnormal atrial substrate, beyond clinically apparent atrial fibrillation, is associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke.
In addition to clinically apparent AF, other evidence of abnormal atrial substrate is associated with subsequent ischemic stroke. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that thromboembolism from the left atrium may occur in the setting of several different manifestations of atrial disease.
Kamel et al. (2018) studied this question.