title: Diagnostic importance of fibrillatory wave amplitude: a clue to echocardiographic left atrial size and etiology of atrial fibrillation.
abstract: The electrocardiographic fibrillatory wave amplitude in 148 patients with atrial fibrillation was measured. To assess its diagnostic importance in relation to the left atrial size and underlying etiology, M-mode echocardiography was performed on 89 patients. The patients are classified according to the type of atrial fibrillation (paroxysmal or chronic), the f wave amplitude (coarse or fine), and the underlying etiology (rheumatic or nonrheumatic). The average fibrillatory f wave amplitude and echocardiographic left atrial size in chronic and rheumatic atrial fibrillation are significantly greater than in paroxysmal and chronic nonrheumatic patients. Furthermore, the fibrillatory f wave amplitude correlates strongly with the echocardiographic left atrial size.
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, Al-Jahra Hospital, Kuwait.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Aysha
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Hassan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000209:etiology*; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000150:complications; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000473:pathology*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged