title: Intra-left atrial mechanical delay detected by tissue Doppler echocardiography can be a useful marker for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There are some clinical and echocardiographic parameters to predict paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF), but more sensitive predictors are needed. Tissue Doppler imaging may be a sensitive method for this purpose.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-four patients with PAF and 31 control subjects were studied. Time intervals from the beginning of P-wave to beginning of A-wave from lateral and septal mitral and right ventricular tricuspid annuli in tissue Doppler imaging were recorded. The differences between these intervals gave the mechanical delays between/within the corresponding atria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no differences between groups with regard to age. PAF patients were found to have increased left atrial dimension and intra-left atrial mechanical delay. Twenty-five milliseconds was calculated as cutoff value to predict PAF. P-wave dispersion was found to be increased in PAF.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows an increase in intra-left atrial mechanical delay in PAF patients. This method can be used as an early marker to detect PAF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Ulus State Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deniz
authors.forename: Bunyamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yavuz
authors.forename: Kudret
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aytemir
authors.forename: Mutlu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayran
authors.forename: Sedat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kose
authors.forename: Sercan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okutucu
authors.forename: Lale
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tokgozoglu
authors.forename: Giray
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kabakci
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oto
mesh_terms: D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology*