Is left atrial enlargement associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation?
Left atrial enlargement is significantly more prevalent in atrial fibrillation patients who have suffered an ischemic stroke, suggesting it may serve as a marker for additional stroke risk.
M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiographic images were reviewed retrospectively in 20 patients with atrial fibrillation and ischemic stroke with no known valvular disease and in 20 patients with atrial fibrillation without known stroke. Left atrial size was measured and analyzed without knowledge of patient grouping. Two-dimensional echocardiography showed that 90% of the stroke patients had left atrial enlargement compared with only 20% in the nonstroke group. This finding suggests that left atrial enlargement may convey additional stroke risk in patients with atrial fibrillation.
Caplan et al. (Sat,) studied this question.