The Left Atrial Septal Pouch as a Possible Risk Factor for Stroke.

Background: The left atrial septal pouch (LASP) is formed by the caudal fusion of the area of overlap of the septum primum and the septum secundum, leaving an opening toward the left atrium. The association between LASP and stroke has not been validated by the previous studies.

Methods: The prevalence of the LASP was determined in 223 ischemic stroke patients and 223 control subjects with other cardiac pathologies, in a monocentric retrospective case-control study design.

The mitral annular displacement by two-dimensional speckle tracking: a new tool in evaluating the left atrial function.

Background: The methods used to characterize the volume change and the deformation of the left atrium are highly dependent on technical factors and difficult to use in a clinical environment. The aim of this study was to demonstrate that mitral annular displacement by speckle tracking can be an alternative method to studying the longitudinal left atrial function.

Methods: Ninety study participants (54% men), with a mean age of 53(±15) years, underwent a complete echocardiographic examination, comprising two-dimensional, three-dimensional and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI).