In heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), left atrial enlargement is a surrogate marker reflecting chronic left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. As a result, the left atrial volume is often evaluated in daily clinical practice to determine the presence of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. However, recent studies have shown that left atrial dysfunction is an important factor contributing to the pathogenesis of HFpEF, and it is expected to become one of the therapeutic targets of HFpEF, rather than just a surrogate marker. Echocardiography plays a central role in the identification of left atrial dysfunction and remodeling in HFpEF. In this review, we describe an approach to the evaluation of left atrial function in HFpEF using echocardiography.
Keywords: Diastolic function; Echocardiography; Strain imaging.