Role of transthoracic left atrial appendage wall motion velocity in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation and a low CHADS2 score

Abstract

A transthoracic LAAWV <10cm/s in persistent AF patients with a low CHADS2 score may be a very specific diagnostic tool for evaluating severe SEC, one of the high risk factors for thromboembolism.

Assessment of left atrial appendage function by transthoracic pulsed Doppler echocardiography: Comparing against transesophageal interrogation and predicting echocardiographic risk factors for stroke

“…Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was then used to determine the optimal cutoff values of TTE LAA E that predicts (1) the presence of thrombus or SEC on TEE and (2) the presence of LAA dysfunction (TEE LAA E ≤ 20 cm/s). As previous studies have found that patients with AF had lower LAA flow velocities, subgroup analysis of patients with AF was also performed …”

“…Previous studies have attempted to correlate TEE and TTE measurements of various aspects of LAA . The function of LAA has been studied using different TTE techniques including harmonic imaging, contrast‐enhanced imaging, tissue Doppler and pulsed Doppler . Considering that the multicenter SPAF‐III trial used pulsed Doppler to define TEE LAA dysfunction (emptying velocity ≤20 cm/s), it will be appropriate to compare it with TTE pulsed Doppler measurements.…”

High Plasma Human Atrial Natriuretic Peptide and Reduced Transthoracic Left Atrial Appendage Wall‐Motion Velocity Are Noninvasive Surrogate Markers for Assessing Thrombogenesis in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation

“…As described previously, the corresponding measurements for transthoracic tissue Doppler echocardiography were as follows: frame rate, 78 frames/sec; frequency, 3.9 MHz; and sampling volume width, 3.2 mm. These measurement specifications are similar to our earlier studies …”

“…We have shown that HANP values had a significant negative correlation with LAA wall‐motion velocity. As LAA wall‐motion velocity was found to be closely correlated with LAA flow velocity, lower LAA function may be related to higher HANP values.…”

“…On the other hand, recent developments in transthoracic tissue Doppler echocardiography may provide a noninvasive assessment of left atrial appendage (LAA) function in patients with sinus rhythm and AF . Several investigations, including ours, have shown that low LAA wall‐motion velocity as assessed by transthoracic tissue Doppler echocardiography, is a risk for thromboembolism in patients with AF . However, left atrial function in patients with PAF may vary from patient to patient.…”