Interrelationship Between The Structure, Function Of Left Atrial Appendage And Thrombosis In Patients With Atrial Fibrillation

Objective:To study the interrelationship between the structure, function of left atria] appendage(LAA) and thrombosis in patients with atrial fibrillation(AF).Methods:Eighty-eight patients with AF and eighteen controls were examined with transeophageal echocardiography(TEE) and Doppler tissue imaging(DTI). Left atrium dimension(LA-D), left atrail appendage width(LAA-W), left atrail appendage long(LAA-L), LAA flow Filling velocity(LFFV), LAA flow emptying velocity(LFEV), LAA wall systolic wave(LSW), and LAA wall diastolic wave(LDW) were observed and compared with those of the control group. AF patients were divided into No Spontaneousecho contrast(NO SEC) subgroup, SEC subgroup,Sludge subgroup and Thrombosis subgroup.Results:Compared to control group, LAA structrure and function changed differently in AF patients. LAA-W enlarged in sludeg and thrombosis subgroups(all P<0.05), LAA-L became longer in thrombosis subgroup (P<0.01), LA-D of AF were larger but LFEV and LFFV were lower in all subgroups(all P<0.05), especially in thrombosis subgroup, while satistical significance of moving velocity of LAA wall were found among SEC subgroup, Sludge subgroup, Thrombosis subgroups(all P<0.01).Conclusion:The changes of functional and structural of LA and LAA were negatively-correlated by statistical analysis, It showed thrombosis in AF is closely related with the changs structure and function of LAA, that is the structural enlarging and blood flow velocity decreasing to suggest the possibility of thrombosis and circulation embolism is increased.