af and enlarged upper left ventricle

[Annaelizabeth]

Is there evidence that af can cause the upper left ventricle to enlarge?

[jennydog]

I don't understand this as the left upper chamber is the atrium and the ventricle is the lower one ( the main pumping chamber )

During my ablation they discovered that my left atrium was "severly dilated." The EP said that this was a surprise considering my history. It is probable that the dilation and fibrosis were caused by radiotherapy to my left shoulder as my other plumbing would arrear to be OK.

Anything under stress is likely to become distended/ flabby. I read on this site that the atrium could recover if the dilation was less than 50%.

[Rellim296]

I have the feeling that an enlarged left upper chamber is an indication that AF occurs even if it never shows up on an ECG.

[BobD Volunteer]

I think you are confused regarding the various parts of the heart Annaelizabeth. The upper chambers are called atria (single atrium) and the lower ventricle(s). Enlargement of the left atrium is a common side effect of long term fibrillation as the muscle gets bigger and stiffer. This cardiomyopathy can be largely reversed in many cases if the AF is controlled or stopped, for example by ablation.

Please see fact sheets on AF-A website for more details.

Bob

[Davesgirl]

Interesting. My husband also has an enlarged left ventricle.....not an enlarged atrium as I specifically questioned the cardiac nurse. They said my husband had heart failure. I'm questioning everything at the moment as in my husband's case nothing seems to fit. Confused.....much!

[Davesgirl]

Thankyou Happyjo. We were never told his ejection fraction. The cardiac nurse said it would have been about 20% without even looking at his notes.

Quite frankly, the level of care he's received has been poor to say the least, in comparison to what others have received from reading this site.

I'm not even happy with the diagnosis because he fits Takotsabu syndrome more than he fits heart failure. He had left ventricle dilation in hospital in October. In Takotsabu the left ventricle shrinks back to normal fairly quickly.

Can you tell that I'm getting a teensy bit frustrated? Sorry to high jack the thread.