Left atrial dilatation in undetermined group according to TOAST classification: echocardiographic assessment of stroke patients

To investigate the left atrial dilatation in an undetermined etiological group according to Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) and to evaluate the relationship between left atrial dilatation and stroke volume and localization. Materials and methods: Files of patients admitted to our hospital (2000-2010) with acute ischemic stroke diagnosis were investigated. The size of their left atrium was registered using the data from transthoracic echocardiogram. Lesion size and localization were registered using brain MRI. Stroke etiology was categorized according to TOAST classification. The relationship between left atrial dilatation and stroke volume and localization in the undetermined group was investigated. Results: It was detected that 47% patients had left atrial dilatation. A significant difference was observed in the occurrence of left atrium dilatation for the undetermined group compared to the other groups and infarct volume was found to be larger in patients having left atrial dilation (P u003c 0.038). Conclusion: Left atrial dilatation is an important etiological factor in the undetermined-cause group and it also affects stroke volume.