Left Atrial Morphology and Function

In the prediction of the risk of cardiovascular events, the role of the left ventricle (LV) has been established for a long time, in the general population and especially in patients with heart failure. LV dimensions and systolic function, the latter mainly expressed as ejection fraction, were the first variables investigated; over the years, the role of predictors of cardiovascular outcomes has been extended to an increased LV mass (ie, hypertrophy) and altered chamber geometry, to an increase in stiffness and parallel reduction in filling properties (diastolic dysfunction), and more recently, to subclinical alterations of systolic function (myocardial strain and strain rate), in an attempt to identify predictors of risk at an early stage of dysfunction, when ejection fraction may still be normal.