Assessment of Left Ventricular Myocardial Fibrosis and Edema in Atrial Fibrillation Using Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance.

Progressive population aging has driven a steady rise in the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF), making the management of its long-term prognosis an increasingly important clinical concern. In addition to forming a vicious cycle with progressive atrial dysfunction, AF promotes adverse remodeling and functional impairment of the ventricles, thereby increasing the risk of heart failure. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), as the gold standard for evaluating cardiac function, cannot only accurately assess functional abnormalities of the atria and ventricles, but also its quantitative assessment techniques, including T1 mapping, T2 mapping, and extracellular volume (ECV) fraction, enable early and precise quantification of ventricular myocardial pathology. The principal aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive assessment of the left atrium and left ventricle in patients with AF using a one-stop CMR protocol based on multi-parametric quantitative myocardial analysis, providing reliable data for clinical treatment decisions, preoperative assessment, and long-term follow-up.