Left atrial flow velocity distribution and flow coherence using four‐dimensional FLOW MRI: A pilot study investigating the impact of age and Pre‐ and Postintervention atrial fibrillation on atrial hemodynamics
Key result
Four-dimensional flow MRI revealed that patients with persistent AF had significantly lower mean left atrial blood flow (0.13 m/s) compared to age-matched volunteers (0.21 m/s, P<0.001).
Why the study?
Does 4D flow MRI detect differences in left atrial hemodynamics between patients with atrial fibrillation and healthy volunteers?
Population
29 participants including 19 healthy volunteers and 10 patients with atrial fibrillation.
Comparison
Four-dimensional (4D) flow MRI vs Age-matched healthy volunteers and different age…
Design
Cross-sectional
Authors
Discussion
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Implication
4D flow MRI detects impaired left atrial flow in persistent AF; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective validation before clinical adoption.
Study Design
Type
Cross-Sectional (n=29)
Structured PICO
Does 4D flow MRI detect differences in left atrial hemodynamics between patients with atrial fibrillation and healthy volunteers?
P
Population
29 participants including 19 healthy volunteers (n=9 <30 years, n=10 >50 years) and 10 patients with atrial fibrillation (mean age 62 ± 9.6 years; n=4 persistent AF, n=6 postintervention).
I
Intervention
Four-dimensional (4D) flow MRI
C
Comparator
Age-matched healthy volunteers and different age groups
O
Outcome
Intra-atrial blood flow velocity and flow coherencesurrogate
Main Result
Absolute Event Rate: 0.13% vs 0.21%
p-value: p=<0.001
4D flow MRI demonstrates that patients with persistent AF have significantly impaired left atrial blood flow velocity and coherence compared to those in sinus rhythm and healthy volunteers.
Limitations
- Small cohort size
- Lack of correlation with clinical outcomes
- Small sample size
Cite This Study
Fluckiger et al. (2013) conducted a cross-sectional in Atrial fibrillation (n=29). Four-dimensional (4D) flow MRI vs. Age-matched volunteers and AF patients in sinus rhythm was evaluated on Mean left atrial blood flow velocity (p=<0.001). Four-dimensional flow MRI revealed that patients with persistent AF had significantly lower mean left atrial blood flow (0.13 m/s) compared to age-matched volunteers (0.21 m/s, P<0.001).