Intra-left atrial mechanical delay detected by tissue Doppler echocardiography can be a useful marker for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

OBJECTIVES

There are some clinical and echocardiographic parameters to predict paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF), but more sensitive predictors are needed. Tissue Doppler imaging may be a sensitive method for this purpose.

METHODS

Thirty-four patients with PAF and 31 control subjects were studied. Time intervals from the beginning of P-wave to beginning of A-wave from lateral and septal mitral and right ventricular tricuspid annuli in tissue Doppler imaging were recorded. The differences between these intervals gave the mechanical delays between/within the corresponding atria.

RESULTS

There were no differences between groups with regard to age. PAF patients were found to have increased left atrial dimension and intra-left atrial mechanical delay. Twenty-five milliseconds was calculated as cutoff value to predict PAF. P-wave dispersion was found to be increased in PAF.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows an increase in intra-left atrial mechanical delay in PAF patients. This method can be used as an early marker to detect PAF.