Comparison of Biplane Area-Length Method and 3D Volume Quantification by Using Cardiac MRI for Assessment of Left Atrial Volume in Atrial Fibrillation

Purpose

To compare maximum left atrial (LA) volume (LAV) from the routinely used biplane area-length (BAL) method with three-dimensional (3D)-based volumetry from late gadolinium-enhanced MRI (3D LGE MRI) and contrast-enhanced MR angiography (3D CE-MRA) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Materials and Methods

Sixty-four patients with AF (mean age, 63 years ± 9 [SD]; 40 male patients) were retrospectively included from a prospective cohort acquired between October 2018 and February 2021. All patients underwent a research MRI examination that included standard two- and four-chamber cine acquisitions, 3D CE-MRA, and 3D LGE MRI performed prior to the atrial kick. Contour delineation on cine imaging and LA 3D segmentations were performed by a radiologist. Maximum LAV (BALmax) was extracted from the BAL volume-time curve and compared with LAV from 3D CE-MRA and 3D LGE MRI. The Kruskal-Wallis test was performed, followed by the Dunn post hoc test and Bland-Altman analyses. Interobserver variability was assessed in 10 patients.

Results

BALmax underestimated LAV compared with 3D CE-MRA (bias: -23.5 mL ± 46.2, P < .001) and 3D LGE MRI (bias: -31.3 mL ± 58.3, P < .001), whereas 3D LGE MRI volumes showed no evidence of a difference from 3D CE-MRA (bias: 7.8 mL ± 45.7, P = .38). Interobserver variability yielded excellent agreement for each method (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.96-0.98).

Conclusion

BALmax underestimated LAV in patients with AF compared with 3D LGE MRI and 3D CE-MRA, suggesting that the geometric assumption of an ellipsoidal LA shape in BAL does not reflect LA geometry in patients with AF.Keywords: Left Atrial Volume, Biplane Area-Length, Late Gadolinium-enhanced 3D MRI, Contrast-enhanced 3D MR Angiography, Atrial Fibrillation Supplemental material is available for this article. © RSNA, 2023.