Evaluation of the echocardiographic criteria of left atrial enlargement
De Souza, P.J.; Thevénard, R.S.; Fuks, J.; Sekeff, J.A.; Azevedo, A.C.
Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia 35(6): 481-483
1980
ISSN/ISBN: 0066-782X PMID: 6455113 Document Number: 165495
The value of the 3 echocardiographic (Echo) criteria that are proposed to evaluate left atrial size.sbd.the left atrium aorta ratio (AE/Ao), the dimension of the left atrium (DAE) and the index of DAE (IAE), i.e., DAE relative to body surface.sbd.were tested. Chest roentgenograms of 27 patients with unquestionable left atrial enlargement and 15 chest roentgenograms with normal left atrial size were used. There was a significant roentgenographic/echocardiographic correlation for the 3 echo criteria (P < 0.01), but with a better correlation of DAE (.vphi. = 0.68). Both the criteria IAE and AE/Ao gave a sensitivity of 93% (S = 93%) and DAE a sensitivity of 70%. DAE gave the best possible specificity, 100% (Es = 100%), while its positive predictive value (VPP) was 100%. The specificity of IAE was 47% and of AE/Ao was 53%. The VPP of these 2 criteria were 76 and 78%. While the criteria IAE and AE/Ao may, in a significant proportion of subjects, diagnose false left atrial enlargement, such a false diagnosis is extremely improbable with the DAE criteria.