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Journal of Cardiovascular... Nov 2019
Review
Topics: Atrial Flutter; Catheter Ablation; Heart Atria; Heart Block; Humans
PubMed: 31502305
DOI: 10.1111/jce.14148 -
Heart Failure Clinics Apr 2019Left atrial size and function parameters are associated with adverse outcomes in multiple disease states, including heart failure with reduced and preserved ejection... (Review)
Review
Left atrial size and function parameters are associated with adverse outcomes in multiple disease states, including heart failure with reduced and preserved ejection fraction. Recent data suggest that phasic left atrial function and left atrial stain measurements also hold prognostic information. Three-dimensional echocardiography provides more accurate and reproducible quantification of left atrial volumes than 2-dimensional echocardiography when compared with cardiac magnetic resonance reference standards. Greater accessibility to these advanced imaging techniques allows for the integration of these parameters into routine clinical practice.
Topics: Atrial Function, Left; Echocardiography; Heart Atria; Heart Failure; Humans
PubMed: 30832811
DOI: 10.1016/j.hfc.2018.12.001 -
European Heart Journal. Cardiovascular... Dec 2021
Topics: Heart Atria; Heart Diseases; Humans
PubMed: 34871359
DOI: 10.1093/ehjci/jeab259 -
Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine... Dec 2019: Emerging evidence shows the clinical usefulness of left atrium analysis in different fields of cardiovascular medicine in terms of diagnosis, prognosis and as a... (Review)
Review
: Emerging evidence shows the clinical usefulness of left atrium analysis in different fields of cardiovascular medicine in terms of diagnosis, prognosis and as a potential target for medical treatment. Left atrium structural and functional remodeling has been shown to be a sensitive marker able to detect high-risk individuals in the general population and in subjects with known cardiovascular diseases such as atrial fibrillation, heart failure, ischemic heart disease and valvular heart disease. This review aims to summarize the methods used to assess left atrium structure and function, focusing on its role to identify subclinical and clinical cardiovascular disease and to provide additional prognostic information for stratifying high-risk subjects.
Topics: Animals; Atrial Function, Left; Atrial Remodeling; Cardiovascular Diseases; Echocardiography; Heart Atria; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Predictive Value of Tests; Prognosis; Risk Factors; Ventricular Function, Left
PubMed: 31609849
DOI: 10.2459/JCM.0000000000000886 -
Heart Failure Reviews Jan 2017Heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) has emerged as an important public health issue in recent years. It represents the most common type of HF in... (Review)
Review
Heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) has emerged as an important public health issue in recent years. It represents the most common type of HF in ambulatory setting, and it has been recognized as a different entity from the reduced ejection fraction (EF) form. In HFpEF, continuous growing attention has been focused on the role of the left atrium (LA) in preserving good ventricular function and asymptomatic condition of the patient since the very first stages of diastolic dysfunction (DD). Non-invasive and complete echocardiographic evaluation of diastolic phase cannot exempt from accurately analyzed LA size, mostly LA volume, and its function, in particular LA myocardial deformation by speckle tracking echocardiography (STE). This review examines the expanding role of the LA in DD and HFpEF and the importance of its complete assessment in various settings, from diagnosis to correlation with major cardiovascular events.
Topics: Atrial Function; Diastole; Disease Progression; Echocardiography; Heart Atria; Heart Failure; Humans; Organ Size; Ventricular Function
PubMed: 27873135
DOI: 10.1007/s10741-016-9589-9 -
Italian Heart Journal : Official... Nov 2005Left atrial evaluation is strongly linked to the history of cardiac imaging. In the past, the importance of this chamber has been largely downplayed because... (Review)
Review
Left atrial evaluation is strongly linked to the history of cardiac imaging. In the past, the importance of this chamber has been largely downplayed because cineangiography could not visualize it directly. Nowadays echocardiography can easily assess left and right atrial size and function. Left atrial enlargement is frequent in many cardiac diseases. A main determinant of left atrial volume is ventricular diastolic function. It has recently been suggested that left atrial volume might be the morphophysiologic expression of chronic diastolic function. In fact the left atrium is exposed directly to left ventricular diastolic pressure through the open mitral valve and because of its thin wall structure it tends to dilate with increasing pressure. Other important determinants of atrial volume are the degree of ventricular remodeling, mitral regurgitation and the presence of atrial fibrillation. The degree of left atrial enlargement is associated with adverse prognosis in different clinical settings. Patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and with a left atrial volume > 68 ml/m2 have a 3.8-fold risk compared with those with smaller left atrial volume. The predictive value of left atrial volume is independent of left ventricular systolic and diastolic function, mitral regurgitation and atrial fibrillation. This is noteworthy because these factors are both determinant of left atrial volume and have a strong impact on outcome. It might be concluded that left atrial volume represents a powerful predictive marker because it is a window allowing comprehensive evaluation of several factors associated with bad prognosis, which are often difficult to document separately.
Topics: Animals; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated; Disease Progression; Echocardiography; Heart Atria; Humans; Myocardial Contraction; Prognosis; Ventricular Function, Left
PubMed: 16320921
DOI: No ID Found -
International Heart Journal 2018
Topics: Atrial Function, Left; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic, Familial; Dimensional Measurement Accuracy; Echocardiography; Heart Atria; Heart Failure; Hemodynamics; Humans; Mortality; Multimodal Imaging; Organ Size; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Prognosis; Ventricular Outflow Obstruction
PubMed: 30259901
DOI: 10.1536/ihj.18-441 -
European Journal of Heart Failure Aug 2021
Topics: Amyloidosis; Heart Atria; Heart Failure; Humans
PubMed: 34050585
DOI: 10.1002/ejhf.2257 -
Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology :... May 2010Increasingly, interventional procedures require accessing the left atrium from the inside of the heart as well as from the pericardial space. The right phrenic nerve... (Review)
Review
Increasingly, interventional procedures require accessing the left atrium from the inside of the heart as well as from the pericardial space. The right phrenic nerve running along the fibrous pericardium is close to the atrial insertion of the right superior pulmonary vein while the left phrenic nerve passes over the left atrial appendage. Posteriorly, the esophagus descends adjacent to the fibrous pericardium covering the posterior and postero-inferior walls of the left atrium. The component parts of the left atrium are reviewed with emphasis on the structure of the atrial septum, the left atrial ridge, the mitral isthmus, and the left atrial walls. Although the atrial walls are mainly smooth, pits and crevices are common in the region of the mitral isthmus and the vicinity of the os of the atrial appendage. The muscular rim around the valve of the oval fossa delimits the extent of the true atrial septum. Interatrial muscular connections exist at the septum, along Bachmann's bundle and also at the muscular sleeves of the coronary sinus and pulmonary veins. Anatomical features relevant to interventional electrophysiologists are highlighted.
Topics: Atrial Function; Atrial Septum; Electrophysiological Phenomena; Heart Atria; Humans; Pericardium; Phrenic Nerve; Pulmonary Veins
PubMed: 20025713
DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-8159.2009.02659.x -
European Journal of Echocardiography :... Oct 2011The anatomy of the left atrium is reviewed with relevance to various interventional transcatheter procedures requiring manoeuvres within or passage through the left... (Review)
Review
The anatomy of the left atrium is reviewed with relevance to various interventional transcatheter procedures requiring manoeuvres within or passage through the left atrium. The component parts of the atrium--the atrial body with a vestibule, appendage, venous component, and the atrial septum--are described with emphasis on their spatial relationships to neighbouring cardiac and extra-cardiac structures. Normal variations are discussed for a better understanding of the anatomy so as to reduce the risk of potential complications during procedures.
Topics: Cardiac Catheterization; Echocardiography; Heart Atria; Humans; Ultrasonography, Interventional
PubMed: 21998463
DOI: 10.1093/ejechocard/jer093