RESEARCH Velocity encoded cardiova

Full list of author information is available at the end of the articleThe left atrial appendage (LAA) is the major source of thrombotic material in patients with cardioembolic stroke [1]. Thrombus formation is promoted by an impaired LAA function with reduced emptying of the LAA [2]. An impaired LAA function is typically related to atrial fibrillation (AF). However, LAA function can also be reduced in patients with sinus rhythm (SR) due to transient stunning after cardioversion or sustained sessment of LAA emptying aims at estimating the risk for thromboembolic events in several clinical settings and is typically performed by Doppler transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) [1,5]. However, TEE is invasive, requires sedation and is associated with the potential risk of complications in the upper gastro-intestinal-tract [6]. Therefore growing interest has been recently paid to non-invasive techniques for the assessment of LAA emptying [7]. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) offers unique features in patients at risk for stroke: Apart fro