title: Left atrial mechanical functions in chronic primary mitral regurgitation patients: a velocity vector imaging-based study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Assessment of the left atrium (LA) mechanical function provides further information on the level of cardiac compensation. We aimed to evaluate LA function using a strain imaging method: velocity vector imaging (VVI) in chronic primary mitral regurgitation (MR).
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 48 patients with chronic, isolated, moderate to severe MR (54.70 ±15.35 years and 56% male) and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (56.52 ±15.95 years and 56% male). The LA volumes during reservoir (RV), conduit (CV) and contractile phases (AV) were measured. Global strain (S), systolic strain rate (SRs), early diastolic (ESRd) and late diastolic strain rate (LSRd) were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LA RV (50 ±18.7 to 37.9 ±5.9; p = 0.0001), CV (43.1 ±29 to 21 ±2.56; p = 0.0001), and AV (17.9 ±13.5 to 10.9 ±1.9; p = 0.006) were increased in MR patients. The LA reservoir phase strain was 16.2 ±8.1% in the MR group and 51.1 ±5.7% in the control group (p = 0.0001). The LA SRs (1.01 ±0.52 s(-1) for MR and 2.1 ±0.22 s(-1) for controls; p = 0.0001), LA ESRd (0.83 ±0.34 s(-1) for MR and 2.26 ±0.17 s(-1) for controls; p = 0.0001) and LA LSRd (0.76 ±0.24 s(-1) for MR and 2.2 ±0.26 s(-1) for controls; p = 0.0001) were impaired in MR patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The LA deformation indices may be used as adjunctive parameters to determine LA dysfunction in chronic primary MR.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Florence Nightingale Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Selen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yurdakul
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Florence Nightingale Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ozlem
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yıldirimtürk
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Florence Nightingale Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Saide
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aytekin
keywords: chronic mitral regurgitation; left atrium; strain; strain rate
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