A Predictor for Defects in Filling of the Left Atrial Appendage on Cardiac Computed Tomography in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify possible predictors for findings of left atrial appendage (LAA) filling defects in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) on cardiac computed tomography (CT).

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated findings of LAA filling defects on the early phase of cardiac CT of 63 patients with history of AF and compared those images with those of 63 control subjects. We investigated potential predictors for LAA filling defects.

Results: Filling defects of the LAA correlated significantly with patient history of persistent AF (P = 0.045; odds ratio [OR], 3.17), chicken wing morphology (P = 0.013; OR, 4.12), and with LAA volume (P = 0.0032; OR, 1.19) of 12.53 cm or greater (sensitivity, 87.3%; specificity, 69.8%).

Conclusions: We observed persistent AF, the chicken wing type of LAA morphology, and LAA volume as independent predictors of LAA filling defects on cardiac CT. These findings might improve cardiac CT scanning protocol.