title: [Usefulness of left atrial diametres and volumes for the evaluation of left ventricular diastolic function].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The diastolic function of the left ventricle is a main point of the physiological adaptations of the cardiovascular system to the various situations.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Evaluation of left atrium diameter change during diastole and left atrial volume and their possible correlation with different left ventricular diastolic filling pattern.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety patients with echocardiographically determined diastolic dysfunction and eighty healthy volunteers were included in the study. We measured left atrium emptying fraction (LAEF), defined as ratio of end-diastolic left atrial diameter to end-systolic diameter and left atrial volume. Mitral flow pulsed wave velocities were recorded. E, A, E/A, deceleration time of early diastolic filling, isovolumetric relaxation time were measured. Pulmonary vein S, D and atrial reversal velocities and tissue Doppler imaging of E' and A' mitral anular velocities were obtained.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LAEF was found 0.6 +/- 0.4 (mean SE) in the control group, 0.81 +/- 0.04 in pseudonormal pattern (P < 0.05, control vs pseudonormal group), 0.89 +/- 0.01 in the greater A wave than E wave (P < 0.001, control vs restrictive pattern group), and 0.78 +/- 0.2 in the A > E group (P < 0.05, control vs A > E pattern group).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LAEF and atrial volume are a new and practical methods for the differentiation of the normal-pseudonormal mitral flow pattern, in particular in setting without new ultrasound technologies.
authors.affiliation: Unità Operativa Complessa di Cardiologia, Università, Brescia. enrico.vizzardi@tin.it
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vizzardi
authors.forename: Ivano
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bonadei
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Teli
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Caretta
authors.forename: Cristian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maiandi
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Madureri
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bordonali
authors.forename: Ermanna
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chiari
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Raddino
authors.forename: Livio Dei
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Cas
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D018754:Ventricular Dysfunction / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left