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The last presentation in this session addressed the remaining two cardiac chambers and Prof Victor Mor-Avi elegantly covered the role of 3D Echo in assessing the left and right atria. He started by explaining why measurement of LA size is so important for prognosis, predicting cardiac events and assessing diastolic function. It was clear from the data presented by Prof Mor-Avi than 3D LA volumes are so much better than linear dimensions or LA areas in predicting outcomes. He then went on to explain that the conventional methods of measuring LA volumes (area-length and bi-plane Simpson’s) are very limited and potentially inaccurate. 3D Echo assessment of volumes correlate much better with CMR than the older, more traditional methods, and have led to a change in normal values contained in the Guidelines.
