- Oral presentation
- Open Access
Left atrial and left atrial appendage 4D blood flow dynamics in atrial fibrillation
https://doi.org/10.1186/1532-429X-18-S1-O90
© Markl et al. 2016
- Published: 27 January 2016
Keywords
- Atrial Fibrillation
- Left Atrium
- Peak Velocity
- Flow Dynamic
- Atrial Fibrillation Patient
Background
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with increased risk of stroke due to development of left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombus. Clinical risk scores (CHA2DS2-VASc) used to assess thromboembolic risk have limited predictive value. Studies have shown that physiologic factors such as decreased LAA velocity and increased stasis are associated with thrombus formation in the LAA and may be better predictors for stroke. Currently available diagnostic tools such as TEE, however, are limited as they do not completely assess the complex 3D LAA blood flow and are invasive. As a result, the impact of AF on global and regional atrial 3D flow dynamics is poorly understood. In addition, it is unclear if the stimulus for LAA thrombus formation is driven by hemodynamic changes in the LAA alone or more broadly associated with AF induced flow alterations affecting the entire left atrium (LA). It was the aim of this study to test the potential of novel 4D flow MRI tools (anatomic maps of LA stasis, peak velocity, and time-to-peak velocity) for the characterization of LA and LAA flow dynamics.
Methods
4D flow MRI (A) and derived 3D PC angiogram (PC-MRA) in a male AF patient (EF = 57%, heart rate = 46 bpm, CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score = 1, in sinus rhythm during the MRI scan). 3D segmentation of the LA and LAA was used to mask the measured time-resolved 3-directional blood flow velocities inside the LA and LAA boundaries for the calculation of LA and LAA stasis, peak velocity and time-to-peak (TTP) maps. (B)AAo/Dao: ascending/descending aorta, RA: right atrium, LV: left ventricle, PA: pulmonary artery.
Results
A: Patient demographics and summary of LA and LAA flow quantification results. B,C: Peak velocity and stasis in the LA compared to the LAA in n = 75 subjects (15 controls and 60 AF patients).
Conclusions
The findings of this study demonstrate that flow velocity and stasis measured in the LAA are strongly associated with the same measures in the LA. The absence of systematic differences in LAA vs. LA hemodynamics in AF patients suggests that presence of AF results in impaired flow dynamics (reduced velocities, increased stasis) not just in the LAA but in the in the entire left atrium. An individual assessment of LAA and LA flow may thus help to better identify patients at risk for thromboembolism beyond current clinical risk scores.
Authors’ Affiliations
Copyright
This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.