THE ROLE OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING AND COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IN STUDYING THE MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF THE LEFT ATRIAL APPENDAGE IN THROMBUS FORMATION: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Background. Atrial fibrillation has a marked impact on quality of life, heart failure, risk of thromboembolic stroke and
increased mortality from these causes. Understanding the anatomy, arrhythmogenic and thrombogenic components of the
left atrial appendage according to magnetic resonance and computed tomography is an important aspect for the choice of
specific methods of treatment for many potentially dangerous consequences of this disease.
Aim. The purpose of the study was to analyze sources on the morphological features of the left atrial appendage
according to magnetic resonance and computed tomography in thrombus formation.
Search strategy. To analyze and evaluate the morphological features of the left atrial appendage PubMed, Google
Scholar, Web of Science and MEDLINE Complete were used before 2022. Scientific articles published more than 10 years
ago were included in the work since they contained conceptual information. Studies conducted on patients diagnosed with
atrial fibrillation; cross-sectional studies, cohort studies, and case-control studies published in the English language were
included in this study. Key terms used for this review include “atrial fibrillation”, “left atrial appendage”, “left atrial size”,
“morphology of left atrial appendage”, “computed tomography”, “magnetic resonance tomography” and “left atrial appendage
thrombosis”. Exclusion criteria: studies conducted with patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, evidence-based medicine
articles with clear conclusions, articles published in other languages. As a result, 75 articles were selected for this review.
Conclusions. Analysis and further development of risk criteria based on computed tomography and magnetic resonance
imaging data are assumed to be effective in the prevention of thromboembolic complications.