title: What is the best approach for the assessment of left atrial size? Comparison of various unidimensional and two-dimensional parameters with three-dimensional echocardiographically determined left atrial volume.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Left atrial (LA) size has prognostic importance in a variety of cardiac conditions. Diameters, area, or volume derived from 2-dimensional (2D) echocardiography (2DE) are commonly used to measure LA size, but involve numerous assumptions. This study examined the accuracy of these 2DE parameters compared to 3-dimensional echocardiographic LA volume (3DV).
  
  
  METHODS
  LA diameters, area, and volume measured from 2DE were correlated with 3DV in 118 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or without structural heart disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Diameter (anterior-posterior, superior-inferior, and medial-lateral) and 2DE area measurements had statistically significant, but modest, correlations with 3DV, and exhibited a large degree of scatter in comparison with 3DV. The 2DE-derived volume had an excellent correlation with 3DV, but consistently underestimated LA volume.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 2DE LA volume correlates better than other parameters with 3DV, but often results in underestimation. Thus, caution should be exercised when using unidimensional and 2D measurements of LA size.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Imaging and Hemodynamic Laboratory, Division of Cardiology, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA.
authors.forename: Prasad V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Maddukuri
authors.forename: Marcelo L C
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: DeCastro
authors.forename: Martin S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Maron
authors.forename: Jeffrey T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Kuvin
authors.forename: Ayan R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Natesa G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Pandian
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002312:Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D019560:Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity