Ivan Vranka, Andrej Dukát
Prediction of onset and recurrence of atrial fibrillation has clinical and socioeconomic benefit. Beside clinical risk factors and electrocardiography, transthoracal echocardiography plays an important role in patients with atrial fibrillation. Nowadays, transezophageal echocardiography is more accessible method. Most reviews of echocardiography in atrial fibrillation deal with tromboembolic risk, but also some parameters with predictive value were introduced. These parameters assessed morphology and function of left atrium and surround structures, especially left ventricle. Beside conventional echocardiographic parameters like left atrial size, mitral valve abnormalities, left ventricular hypertrophy and left ventricular systolic dysfunction have benefit also not so often used parameters of transmitral and pulmonary veins flow and left auricula function.