Do Left Atrial Mechanical Dysfunction and Size Predict Stroke?

In patients without atrial fibrillation or prior stroke, adding left atrial reservoir strain to the CHA₂DS₂-VASc score improved prediction of ischemic stroke.

Atrial myopathy, marked by left atrial mechanical dysfunction and enlargement, might precede atrial fibrillation (AF) and be a causal agent for stroke. Whether measures of left atrial mechanical function and size are directly associated with stroke risk and might help predict it in patients without AF is unclear.

In the prospective, community-based cohort study, Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities, investigators assessed left atrial strain (reservoir, conduit, and contractile) and size (left atrial volume index) using echocardiography in 4917 participants without prevalent AF or prior stroke and followed them for the development of ischemic stroke. The CHA₂DS₂-VASc score for cardioembolic risk was calculated for all patients.

During a mean fo…

Reviewing Author

Mark S. Link, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsCirculation; UpToDate

Mark S. Link, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsCirculation; UpToDate

Do Left Atrial Mechanical Dysfunction and Size Predict Stroke?

Topics

Reviewing Author