Introduction
Premature ventricular contraction (PVC) is a common arrhythmia affecting around %1 of the population. PVC is typically asymptomatic, but it can also cause palpitations, the sense of a skipped beat, chest discomfort, dyspnea, fatigue, presyncope, or syncope. Although PVC is mostly benign, it may increase the risk of cardiomyopathy or ventricular tachyarrhythmias such as ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. [1-3]
PVC can affect ventricular function in a structurally normal heart, and retrograde ventriculo-atrial conduction can also occur in PVC patients. These retrograde atrial activations may resemble pulmonary vein-derived atrial ectopies and raise the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). [4-6]
Numerous researchers have used speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) to measure left atrial strain (LAS). Despite its effectiveness, the therapeutic value of STE is limited by its thin-walled design, irregular organization of myocytes in the LA, and intervenor variability. The four-dimensional automated left atrial quantification (4D Auto LAQ) tool is an analytical method that use three-dimensional volume data to quantify the left atrial (LA) volume and left atrial longitudinal and circumferential strains. [7-9]
This study aims to examine the relationship between PVC and abnormal LA function as measured by LA strain evaluation using a 4D Auto LAQ.