September 9, 2009 - Integrated backscatter (IBS) images were acquired with transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and 3-dimensional image reconstruction to identify an increase in atrial degeneration that might predict the occurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) before left atrium (LA) dilation.
In the study Atrial Fibrillation: Usefulness of Integrated Backscatter Transesophageal Echocardiography, recognized that one of the causes of AF is pathological degeneration of the LA.
Using IBS images acquired with TEE and 3-dimensional image reconstruction, they found that the IBS values of the LA, which reflect degeneration of LA tissue, were significantly higher in patients with paroxysmal AF than in those without AF; LA dimensions were similar.
They concluded that IBS-TEE can identify an increase in atrial degeneration that might predict the occurrence of AF before LA dilation.
Reference: Kubota, Tomoki. Atrial Fibrillation: Usefulness of Integrated Backscatter Transesophageal Echocardiography. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Volume 54, No. 13. September 22, 2009.
Tomoki Kubota, Masanori Kawasaki, Nobuhiro Takasugi, Urara Takeyama, Yoshiyuki Ishihara, Munenori Okubo, Takahiko Yamaki, Shinsuke Ojio, Takuma Aoyama, Masazumi Arai, Kazuhiko Nishigaki, Genzou Takemura, Hisayoshi Fujiwara, Shinya Minatoguchi