title: A morphological study of the left atrial appendage in chinese patients with atrial fibrillation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Using angiography, this study examined left atrial appendage (LAA) morphology in Chinese patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) or congenital atrial septal defects (ASD), to provide data that might aid the design of new LAA-occluding devices to prevent cardioembolism and  stroke in patients with AF.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with AF or ASD were enrolled. The LAA was visualized angiographically; its dimensions were measured and the emptying fraction was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 45 patients with AF and 30 patients with ASD were included in the study. LAA morphology  was classified into eight categories. The majority of patients with AF had tube-shaped LAAs with a single lobe; the most common LAA morphologies in patients with ASD were irregular or sphere-like, with multiple lobes. Patients with AF had significantly larger LAAs with significantly lower  emptying fractions compared with LAAs of patients with ASD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The LAA demonstrated considerable morpho logical variability in terms of its size, shape and number of lobes. The design of new occluding devices must take into account the size and shape of the LAA in patients with AF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Affiliated Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors.forename: A-W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: M-L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: K-J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: X-Q
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Kong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D020517:Atrial Appendage / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D003287:Contrast Media; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D005260:Female; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007472:Iohexol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D007472:Iohexol; C038192:iopromide