[Usefulness of left atrial diametres and volumes for the evaluation of left ventricular diastolic function].
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.
Vizzardi
Enrico
E
Unità Operativa Complessa di Cardiologia, Università, Brescia. enrico.vizzardi@tin.it
Bonadei
Ivano
I
Teli
Melissa
M
Caretta
Giorgio
G
Maiandi
Cristian
C
Madureri
Alberto
A
Bordonali
Tania
T
Chiari
Ermanna
E
Raddino
Riccardo
R
Cas
Livio Dei
LD
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