A fast and reproducible method to estimate left atrial volume using cardiac computed tomography.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to do better than the simple maximal axial area (MArea) and to validate simple, fast and robust orthogonal methods for determining the left atrium volume (LAV) with cardiac CT (CCT).

Material And Methods: A total of 60 patients who underwent CTT were retrospectively included. There were 30 men and 30 women with a mean age of 59±12 (SD) years (range: 27-80 years), using four methods to assess LAV beyond the MArea: two orthogonal methods requiring the measurements of axial, coronal and sagittal planes of 3 diameters LAV or 3 area LAV; Area-length biplane method LAV; and volumetric method LAV using a semi-automated tool that served as the reference standard.