Assessment of left atrium mechanical function by deformation imaging in atrial fibrillation and its correlation with CHA2DS2-VASc risk score

AbstractObjectivesEvaluation of left atrium (LA) mechanical function by speckle tracking based strain (SPTS) in patients with chronic non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) and its correlation with CHA2DS2-VASc risk score.BackgroundAF is a progressive condition that begins with increased hemodynamic load or structural remodeling of the atria, understanding atrial function could lead to better ability to predict the risk of developing stroke and the response to treatment. SPTS is a recently emerged modality that accurately estimates myocardial function.MethodsSixty patients with chronic AF and 20 age and sex matched normal control individuals underwent conventional echo where LV dimensions, wall thickness, EF, LA diameter and volumes were measured. Peak left atrial longitudinal strain (PALS) was measured in apical four (AP4) and two chamber view (AP2) and its correlation with CHA2DS2-VASc risk score in the AF group was evaluated.ResultsLA diameter and volumes were greater in AF patients (P-value