The incidence of left atrial diverticula in coronary CT angiography.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to characterize the frequency and location of left atrial diverticula by using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS Cardiac imaging was performed for 454 patients using 64MDCT. Most patients were being examined for coronary artery disease. All images were interpreted by two radiologists on a three-dimensional workstation using multiplanar reformatting, maximum intensity projection, and volumerendering. Diverticula were characterized by localization and diameter. RESULTS A total of 207 atrial diverticula were diagnosed in 186 (41%) of the 454 patients in this study. The diameters of left atrial diverticula ranged from 2 mm to 16 mm, with an average diameter of 5.2 mm. Left atrial diverticula were located anterosuperiorly in 166 patients (36.6%), anteriorly in four patients (0.9%), anteroinferiorly in three patients (0.7%), inferolaterally in one patient (0.2%), inferomedially in two patients (0.4%), laterally in two patients (0.4%), posterosuperiorly in one patient (0.2%), and superiorly in seven patients (1.5%). CONCLUSION Left atrial diverticula are frequently detected during routine cardiac computed tomography angiography examinations. From the Departments of Radiology, and Cardiology, GATA Haydarpasa Teaching Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.