Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Book

Left Atrial Enlargement

Priyanka Parajuli  1 , Mohamed H. Alahmadi  2 , Andaleeb A. Ahmed  3
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
Affiliations
Free Books & Documents
Book

Left Atrial Enlargement

Priyanka Parajuli et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

The left atrium (LA) is a crucial component of cardiac physiology. It collects blood into the heart and modulates left ventricular filling during systole and diastole. Left atrial enlargement (LAE) marks the structural remodeling process in response to chronic pressure and volume overload. It is most commonly associated with diastolic dysfunction, left ventricular hypertrophy, mitral valvular disease, and systemic hypertension.

The dimensions of the left atrium hold significant prognostic value. Recent studies have shown that LA enlargement may independently predict several serious cardiovascular conditions, including heart failure.

In the absence of mitral valvular disease, atrial fibrillation (AF), and high cardiac output states, LAE is a strong indicator of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. As such, evaluating LAE is crucial and can be performed using various imaging modalities.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Priyanka Parajuli declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Mohamed Alahmadi declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Andaleeb Ahmed declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

    1. Abhayaratna WP, Seward JB, Appleton CP, Douglas PS, Oh JK, Tajik AJ, Tsang TS. Left atrial size: physiologic determinants and clinical applications. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006 Jun 20;47(12):2357-63. - PubMed
    1. Cuspidi C, Negri F, Sala C, Valerio C, Mancia G. Association of left atrial enlargement with left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction: a tissue Doppler study in echocardiographic practice. Blood Press. 2012 Feb;21(1):24-30. - PubMed
    1. Cuspidi C, Rescaldani M, Sala C. Prevalence of echocardiographic left-atrial enlargement in hypertension: a systematic review of recent clinical studies. Am J Hypertens. 2013 Apr;26(4):456-64. - PubMed
    1. Patel DA, Lavie CJ, Milani RV, Shah S, Gilliland Y. Clinical implications of left atrial enlargement: a review. Ochsner J. 2009 Winter;9(4):191-6. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kizer JR, Bella JN, Palmieri V, Liu JE, Best LG, Lee ET, Roman MJ, Devereux RB. Left atrial diameter as an independent predictor of first clinical cardiovascular events in middle-aged and elderly adults: the Strong Heart Study (SHS). Am Heart J. 2006 Feb;151(2):412-8. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources