LEFT ATRIUM VOLUME AS A SURROGATE MARKER OF LEFT VENTRICULAR DIASTOLIC DYSFUNCTION

Abstract

Objective: To determine correlation between left atrial volume and left ven -tricular diastolic dysfunction.
Methodology: This was a single center observational study conducted at
Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar. Patients above 18 years of both genders,
who were in sinus rhythm and having no significant systolic dysfunction or
significant mitral insufficiency on echocardiography, were included in the
study, using purposive non-probability sampling technique. A total 339 pa -tients  underwent  transthoracic  echocardiography  from  July  2013  to  June
2014. Detailed cardiac echocardiography was performed to determine left
atrial volume, ejection fraction, E and A velocities, deceleration time and e've-locity, E/e.'
Results: A total of 339 patients were studied. Male were 61.9%. Mean age of
study population was 58.42 ±10.48 years. Baseline characteristics of patients
having some degree of diastolic dysfunction were; mean age 65.5 ±12.3,
mean body mass index 25.2 ±2.5 kg/m2, mean ejection fraction 55.1 ±7.5%,
hypertension 48.6%, diabetes mellitus 10.1% and left ventricular hypertrophy
38.6%. Echocardiographic findings in diastolic dysfunction patients were as
follow: mean left atrial volume was 65.3 ±10.1ml, E/A 1.4 ±0.6, TDI e' was 6.7  
±1.3 m/sec and TDI E/e' was 12.7 ±2.1. Increasing left atrial volume was well
correlated with increasing severity of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (γ =
+0.8, Spearman rank correlation).
Conclusion: Increase in left atrial volume is directly correlated with severity
of diastolic dysfunction. Severity of diastolic dysfunction increases with in-creased left atrial volume.