Background: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) exhibit impaired left atrial appendage (LAA) function. However, regional characteristics of LAA function in patients with AF are not defined.
Methods: Consecutive patients (n = 1,195) undergoing transesophageal echocardiography at a university hospital were included. Patients were divided into three groups on the basis of their rhythm: sinus rhythm (SR), paroxysmal AF, and permanent or persistent AF. Regional LAA wall velocities were determined using color Doppler tissue imaging, placing regions of interest at the lateral and medial wall of the LAA.
Results: Of the 1,182 patients ultimately included, 691 (59%) were in SR, 371 (32%) had permanent or persistent AF, and 120 (10%) had paroxysmal AF with SR at the time of transesophageal echocardiography. Both lateral and medial LAA wall velocities were lower in patients with AF in comparison with those in SR. Nearly 90% of patients in both groups of patients with AF exhibited a pattern of medial LAA wall velocity greater than lateral LAA wall velocity, in comparison with 20% of patients with SR. The odds ratio for the association of this LAA contraction pattern with AF was 22.14 (95% CI, 12.06-40.64; P < .001). The movement of lateral LAA wall velocity showed the highest correlation with LAA emptying velocity compared with the medial LAA wall (r = 0.67, P < .001).
Conclusions: Lateral LAA wall velocity is higher than medial LAA wall velocity in patients in SR, which reverses in patients with AF. Assessment of LAA regional wall velocity using Doppler tissue imaging appears to be a promising approach to identify patients with paroxysmal AF.
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