Left atrial, pulmonary vein, and left atrial appendage anatomy in Indigenous individuals: Implications for atrial fibrillation

Abstract

Background: Indigenous Australians experience a greater burden of AF. Whether this is in-part due to differences in arrhythmogenic structures that appear to contribute to AF differences amongst other ethnicities is not known. Methods: We studied forty individuals matched for ethnicity and other AF risk factors. Computed tomography imaging was used to characterise left atrial (LA), pulmonary vein (PV), and left atrial appendage (LAA) anatomy. Results: There were no significant differences in LA diameters or volumes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Similarly, we could not detect any consistent differences in PV number, morphology, diameters, or ostial characteristics accordin..