Atrial flutter echocardiography

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Raviteja Guddeti, M.B.B.S. [2] Farima Kahe M.D. [3]

Overview

Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is used in atrial flutter to evaluate the sizes of left and right atria. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is used to evaluate the presence of thrombus and selection of candidates for cardioversion.

Echocardiography

Transthoracic echocardiography may be helpful in the diagnosis of atrial flutter. Findings on an echocardiography suggestive of atrial flutter include:^[1]^[2]^[3]

Detection of left atrial appendage and right atrial appendage thrombi
Estimation of blood flow velocity in the left or right atrium and left and right atrial appendage
Detection of right atrial and right atrial appendage thrombi
Regular undulatory waves of the posterior left atrial wall
Regular undulatory waves of the upper left interventricular septum

References

↑ Santiago D, Warshofsky M, Li Mandri G, Di Tullio M, Coromilas J, Reiffel J, Homma S (July 1994). “Left atrial appendage function and thrombus formation in atrial fibrillation-flutter: a transesophageal echocardiographic study”. J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 24 (1): 159–64. doi:10.1016/0735-1097(94)90557-6. PMID 8006260.
↑ Manning WJ, Weintraub RM, Waksmonski CA, Haering JM, Rooney PS, Maslow AD, Johnson RG, Douglas PS (December 1995). “Accuracy of transesophageal echocardiography for identifying left atrial thrombi. A prospective, intraoperative study”. Ann. Intern. Med. 123 (11): 817–22. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-123-11-199512010-00001. PMID 7486462.
↑ Hwang JJ, Chen JJ, Lin SC, Tseng YZ, Kuan P, Lien WP, Lin FY, Chu SH, Hung CR, How SW (September 1993). “Diagnostic accuracy of transesophageal echocardiography for detecting left atrial thrombi in patients with rheumatic heart disease having undergone mitral valve operations”. Am. J. Cardiol. 72 (9): 677–81. doi:10.1016/0002-9149(93)90884-f. PMID 8249844.

Overview