Echocardiographic assessment of left atrial function using volumetric measurements, tissue Doppler imaging, and speckle-tracking methods provides clinical and prognostic information beyond LA size.
What is the current medical evidence and potential clinical usefulness of different echocardiographic methods to analyze left atrial function?
Adding left atrial function assessment, such as LA strain and LA ejection fraction, to standard LA volume index provides valuable prognostic information in cardiovascular diseases.
The evaluation of the left atrial (LA) size using the LA volume index (LAVI) is clinically relevant due to its prognostic significance in various conditions. Nonetheless, adding a LA function assessment to the LAVI provides further clinical and prognostic information in different cardiovascular (CV) diseases. The assessment of LA function by echocardiography primarily includes volumetric measurements (LA ejection fraction LAEF), tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) (mitral annular late diastolic velocity a'), and speckle-tracking methods, such as LA longitudinal reservoir strain (LA strain). This review analyzes and discusses the current medical evidence and potential clinical usefulness of these different methods to analyze LA function.
Mangia et al. (Mon,) conducted a review in Cardiovascular diseases. Echocardiographic parameters for left atrial function was evaluated. Echocardiographic assessment of left atrial function using volumetric measurements, tissue Doppler imaging, and speckle-tracking methods provides clinical and prognostic information beyond LA size.