Impact of body mass index on parameters of the left atrium: cardiac computed tomography study

Increased Body Mass Index (BMI) is often used as a predictor for cardiovascular diseases, and it is also known to be associated with left atrial enlargement, potentially affecting anatomic structures of the left atrium. The aim of the study was to determine the association between BMI and parameters of the left atrium, including characteristics of the pulmonary veins (PVs), found in cardiac computed tomography (CT) scan. The retrospective study included 140 patients with a mean age of 66.9 years (SD = 7.8). There were statistically significant correlations between BMI and volume changes of the left atrium during the cardiac cycle: V_max (r_s = 0.199, p = 0.023), V_min (r_s = 0.177, p = 0.043), V_mean (r_s = 0.190, p = 0.029), which supports previously known data. The study also revealed unique associations regarding the impact of BMI on PV structures. There was a significant correlation between BMI and PV orifice size in the left inferior PV (r_s = 0.216, p = 0.032) and the right accessory PV (r_s = –0.629, p = 0.012). The right PV angle was positively correlated with BMI (r_s = 0.178, p = 0.044), while the angle between left PVs did not show any correlation with BMI (p = 0.436). The results support previously known associations between increased BMI and left atrial enlargement and show a statistically significant effect of increased BMI on the characteristics of pulmonary veins.