The LA contributes to cardiac hemodynamics by modulating LV filling through the interplay of atrial reservoir, conduit, and booster contractile function. LA function has been assessed from pressure-volume curves via invasive assessment.4) The noninvasive assessment of LA anatomy and function has been performed predominantly by echocardiographic volumetric and Doppler analyses5)6) as well as other modalities.7) Compared with assessment of atrial strain, volumetric measures of LA function may be limited by lower sensitivity in early disease states.8) LA speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) is a newer echocardiographic technique for strain and strain rate analyses that tracks ‘speckles’ or natural acoustic markers in the two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound image. The geometric shift of each speckle position is traced throughout the cardiac cycle.6)9) Recently, STE has been described for assessment of regional and global LA function.
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