Simplified single plane echocardiography is comparable to conventional biplane two-dimensional echocardiography in the evaluation of left atrial volume: a study validated by three-dimensional echocardiography in 143 individuals.

The left atrial volume index (LAVI) is a biomarker of diastolic dysfunction and a predictor of cardiovascular events. Three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) is highly accurate for LAVI measurements but is not widely available. Furthermore, biplane two-dimensional echocardiography (B2DE) may occasionally not be feasible due to a suboptimal two-chamber apical view. Simplified single plane two-dimensional echocardiography (S2DE) could overcome these limitations. We aimed to compare the reliability of S2DE with other validated echocardiographic methods in the measurement of the LAVI. We examined 143 individuals (54 +/- 13years old; 112 with heart disease and 31 healthy volunteers; all with sinus rhythm, with a wide range of LAVI). The results for all the individuals were compared with B2DE-derived LAVIs and validated using 3DE. The LAVIs, as determined using S2DE (32.7 +/- 13.1mL/m(2)), B2DE (31.9 +/- 12.7mL/m(2)), and 3DE (33.1 +/- 13.4mL/m(2)), were not significantly different from each other (P=0.85). The S2DE-derived LAVIs correlated significantly with those obtained using both B2DE (r=0.98; P<0.001) and 3DE (r=0.93; P<0.001). The mean difference between the S2DE and B2DE measurements was <1.0mL/m(2). Using the American Society of Echocardiography criteria for grading LAVI enlargement (normal, mild, moderate, severe), we observed an excellent agreement between the S2DE- and B2DE-derived classifications (=0.89; P<0.001). S2DE is a simple, rapid, and reliable method for LAVI measurement that may expand the use of this important biomarker in routine echocardiographic practice.