BACKGROUND: Evaluation of whether dyspnea has a cardiac cause is essential. Guidelines from 2016 were reported to result in a high incidence of indeterminate left ventricular (LV) filling pressure. We sought to validate a new algorithm for the estimation of LV filling pressure (LVFP) in a multicenter study, with the objective of decreasing the yield of indeterminate filling pressure and increasing accuracy. METHODS: In an observational study, echocardiography was performed in 951 patients referred for cardiac catheterization. Echocardiographic measurements included mitral inflow, pulmonary vein and tissue Doppler mitral annulus velocities, tricuspid regurgitation velocity, assessment of mean right atrial pressure, biplane LV and left atrial volumes, and LV and left atrial strain. A stepwise approach was applied in a new algorithm for estimation of LVFP, whereby pressure >15 mm Hg was considered abnormally elevated. The first step included mitral annulus early diastolic velocity (e′), the ratio of mitral early flow velocity to e′, and pulmonary artery systolic pressure. With concordant findings in all 3 variables, conclusions about LVFP could be reached. In case of discordant or incomplete variables, left atrial reservoir strain, left atrial maximum volume index, isovolumic relaxation time, and pulmonary vein flow were analyzed in a second step. In the presence of ≥1 abnormal measurement in the second step, the conclusion of elevated LVFP could be reached. RESULTS: Only 2 patients had indeterminate LVFP as per the new algorithm versus 38 applying 2016 guidelines ( P <0.0001). In 949 patients, sensitivity was 86% and specificity was 86%, with accuracy of 86%. Accuracy was higher than the 2016 algorithm in all patients ( P <0.0001), and in patients with ejection fraction ≥50% ( P <0.0001), whereas accuracy was similar in patients with ejection fraction <50%. In 663 patients with natriuretic peptides data, net reclassification improvement for echocardiography over natriuretic peptides was 1.1 ( P <0.0001), and integrated discrimination improvement was 0.3 ( P <0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The new algorithm increases the feasibility of estimating LVFP and has good accuracy with incremental value when natriuretic peptides are considered.

This article reviews roles of the left atrium as regulator of left ventricular filling, as compensatory reserve in left ventricular dysfunction and as diagnostic marker in patients with cardiovascular disorders. Application of novel imaging tools to assess left atrial function and their integration with conventional clinical methods are discussed. This includes a review of clinical applications of left atrial strain as a method to quantify the reservoir and booster pump components of left atrial function. Emerging methods for assessing left atrial wall stiffness and active work by pressure-strain loop analysis are discussed. Recommendations for how to apply left atrial strain in clinical routine to diagnose elevated left ventricular filling pressure are provided. Furthermore, a role for left atrial strain in the diagnostic work-up in patients suspected of pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension is proposed. The article also reviews how to implement parameters of atrial structure and function in clinical routine as recommended by recent international guidelines for imaging of heart failure.

The left and right atria serve as buffer chambers to control the flow of venous blood for ventricular filling. If an atrium is absent, blood does not flow effectively into the ventricle, leading to venous blood retention and low cardiac output. The importance of atrial function has become increasingly recognized, because left atrial (LA) function contributes to cardiac performance, and loss of LA function is associated with heart failure. LA volume change has been used for LA function assessment in experimental and clinical studies. In conjunction with LA pressure, the LA pressure–volume relationship provides a better understanding of LA mechanics. LA strain measurement by speckle tracking echocardiography was introduced to evaluate three components of LA function as a (booster) pump, reservoir and conduit. Furthermore, increasing evidence supports the theory that LA reservoir strain has prognostic utility in various cardiac diseases. In this review, we summarize LA contribution to maintain cardiac performance by evaluating LA function with echocardiography according to our experiences and previous reports. Furthermore, we discuss LA dysfunction in challenging cardiac diseases of cardiac amyloidosis and adult congenital heart disease.

Background: Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) mimics left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). It is treatable, but its prognosis is poor. A simple screening tool for CA would be valuable. CA is more precisely diagnosed with echocardiographic deformation parameters (e.g., relative apical sparing pattern [RASP]) than with conventional parameters. We aimed to 1) investigate incremental benefits of echocardiographic deformation parameters over established parameters for CA screening; 2) determine the resultant risk score for CA screening; and 3) externally validate the score in LVH patients.Methods: We retrospectively studied 295 consecutive non-ischemic LVH patients who underwent detailed diagnostic tests. CA was diagnosed with biopsy or^99mTc-PYP scintigraphy. The base model comprised age (≥65 years [men], ≥70 years [women]), low voltage on the electrocardiogram, and posterior wall thickness ≥ 14 mm in reference to the literature. The incremental benefit of each binarized echocardiographic parameter over the base model was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and comparisons of the area under the curve (AUC).Results: Fifty-four (18%) patients had CA. RASP showed the most incremental benefit for CA screening over the base model. After conducting multiple logistic regression analysis for CA screening using four variables (RASP and base model components), a score was determined (range, 0–4 points). The score demonstrated adequate discrimination ability for CA (AUC = 0.86). This result was confirmed in another validation cohort (178 patients, AUC = 0.88).Conclusions: We developed a score incorporating RASP for CA screening. This score is potentially useful in the risk stratification and management of LVH patients.