Does the Gender Imply A Certain Predilection as Regards the Morphology of Left Atrial Appendage in Egyptians?

Abstract

Background: Left atrial appendage (LAA) has different shapes, sizes, and relations to different adjacent structures, all of these may be extremely important when interventional procedures related to left atrium are done. There is a growing data about variations in LAA morphology in relation to gender and in different populations. Objective: So in our study we evaluated LAA morphologies and identified the proportion of its different subtypes in Egyptians. Patients and methods: We analyzed retrospectively the data of 101 consecutive Egyptian patients who underwent multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in our university specialized hospital from August 2019 to February 2020. Results: All images were evaluated for LAA morphology and volume. Windsock morphology existed in 32% of patients followed by chicken wing in 25% of patients. Cauliflower morphology was reported in 23% of patients whereas 20% of patients had cactus morphology. There was a significant gender difference, as female patients had predominantly cauliflower and cactus morphologies (P<0.05). Left atrial appendage volume showed a statistically significant positive correlation with advanced age and significant negative correlation with left ventricular ejection fraction. Conclusion: Egyptians had LAA predominantly windsock morphology in males and cactus morphology in females.