The incremental value of interatrial septum motion in predicting thrombus or spontaneous echo contrast in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation: an observational study on transesophageal echocardiography

• Published in: Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine 2024-10, Vol.11, p.1366180
• Main Authors: Zeng, Decai, Chang, Shuai, Zhang, Xiaofeng, Zhong, Yanfeng, Yongzhi, Cai, Huang, Tongtong, Wu, Ji
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: atrial fibrillation; Cardiovascular Medicine; interatrial septum motion; spontaneous echo contrast; thrombus; transesophageal echocardiography
• ISSN: 2297-055X; 2297-055X
• DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2024.1366180

The thickness and motion of the Interatrial Septum (IAS) possibly serves as indicators of both structural and functional remodeling of left atrium. This study aims to use transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to assess IAS motion in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) and investigate its correlation with the risk of spontaneous echo contrast (SEC) and thrombus (TH). We conducted a cross-sectional study on 318 patients with NVAF who underwent transthoracic echocardiography and TEE. IAS motion was defined as the maximum displacement of IAS observed throughout the cardiac cycles using M-mode TEE. The prevalence of SEC/TH was 39.9% (127/318) in the overall group. In paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF), the prevalence rate of SEC/TH was 25.3% (47/186), compared to 60.6% (80/132) in persistent atrial fibrillation (PeAF). Multivariable analyses showed that LA volume index (LAVI), mean E/e', S/D ratio, IAS motion and CHA2DS2-VASc scores were significantly associated with SEC/TH. Patients with lower IAS motion showed a higher prevalence of SEC/TH compared to those with higher IAS motion (71.3% vs. 11.6%;