title: Tissue Doppler echocardiography can be a useful technique to evaluate atrial conduction time.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The main purpose of this study is to determine the correlation of inter- and intraatrial conduction times between the electrophysiological and tissue Doppler echocardiographic measurements, and to evaluate the appropriateness of tissue Doppler echocardiography for this measurement.
  
  
  METHODS
  One-hundred and one patients were included in the study who underwent electrophysiological study for clinical arrhythmias. Inter- and intraatrial conduction times were measured from intracardiac electrograms. Atrial conduction times were also measured by tissue Doppler echocardiography by evaluating atrial electromechanical delay between lateral mitral annulus, septal mitral annulus, and right ventricular tricuspid annulus. The correlation between electrophysiological and echocardiographic atrial conduction times were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found a weak correlation between the measurements of interatrial conduction times with the electrophysiological and tissue Doppler techniques (r = 0.308; p = 0.002). The correlation for intraleft atrial conduction times was moderate (r = 0.652; p 〈 0.001). There was no correlation between the measurements of intra-right atrial conduction times.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We concluded that tissue Doppler echocardiography can be used for the measurement of interatrial and intra-left atrial conduction times. Tissue Doppler echocardiography can be a suitable technique to evaluate atrial substrate.
authors.affiliation: Deparmtent of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. alideniz78@gmail.com
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deniz
authors.forename: Levent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sahiner
authors.forename: Kudret
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aytemir
authors.forename: Baris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: Giray
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kabakci
authors.forename: Lale
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tokgozoglu
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016279:Atrial Function, Left; D016280:Atrial Function, Right; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D004562:Electrocardiography; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D013997:Time Factors; D014261:Tricuspid Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology