Quantification of left atrial fibrosis by 3D late gadolinium-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in patients with atrial fibrillation: impact of different analysis methods.

Aims: Various methods and post-processing software packages have been developed to quantify left atrial (LA) fibrosis using 3D late gadolinium-enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance (LGE-CMR) images. Currently, it remains unclear how the results of these methods and software packages interrelate.

Methods And Results: Forty-seven atrial fibrillation (AF) patients underwent 3D-LGE-CMR imaging prior to their AF ablation.

Extent of Left Atrial Fibrosis Correlates with Descending Aorta Proximity at 3D Late Gadolinium Enhancement Cardiac MRI in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation.

Purpose: To determine whether the distance between the descending aorta and left atrial (LA) wall correlates with the amount of fibrosis quantified in the posterior left inferior pulmonary vein (LIPV) area of the LA in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Materials And Methods: In this retrospective study, patients with AF underwent cardiac MRI in sinus rhythm prior to a pulmonary vein isolation procedure (July 2018 to February 2020). The mean distance (distance) and shortest distance (distance) between the descending aorta and the LA wall were measured on three-dimensional (3D) contrast-enhanced MR angiograms; distance was defined as the average of five measurements at different levels between the descending aorta and the LA wall.