Clinical Perspectives:
What is known:
Speckle tracking echocardiography is a sensitive and reproducible technique that identifies subtle changes in the atrial biomechanics prior to any significant volumetric changes.
LA dysfunction is associated with ESUS stroke subtype
What this study adds:
This study adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting early recognition of atrial cardiopathy in ESUS stroke subtype using speckle tracking echocardiography.
It also provides evidence that routine quantification of LA strain in ESUS patients may identify a subset of ESUS patients that may benefit from intensive cardiac arrhythmia surveillance and potential anticoagulation therapy.