Do Left Atrial Diverticula Contribute to Stroke Risk?

A single-center study suggests a doubling of risk.

Left atrial diverticula are focal outpouchings from the wall of the left atrium that are often detected incidentally on cardiac CT. Little is known about their origin or clinical relevance, including any possible link with stroke.

In this study, researchers evaluated the prevalence of left atrial diverticula and the 2-year risk of recurrent stroke among 450 patients who underwent cardiac CT following acute ischemic stroke. Diverticula were defined as outpouchings with a length ≥3 mm and a length/ostium ratio >0.5.

Key findings:

Nearly 30% of patients had a left atrial diverticulum.
Patients with and without diverticula were similar in terms of age, sex, and presence of atrial fibrillation.
Patients with diverticula had a significantly higher ris…

Reviewing Author

Seemant Chaturvedi, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBayer Pharmaceuticals; Novartis

Grant/Research SupportNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Editorial BoardsNeurology; Stroke