Panel (A) illustrates the progression of left atrial cardiopathy. Subtle changes in all three phases of left atrial strain in the early stages of atrial cardiopathy precede more drastic changes in left atrial volume and strain in advanced stages of atrial cardiopathy.Panel (B) illustrates the pathophysiologic consequences of atrial cardiopathy, including atrial fibrillation and thromboembolism. Note that atrial fibrillation can be both a cause and a result of atrial cardiopathy.