Cardiac Magnetic ResonanceALATRIUMNCT07561151
Assessment of Left Atrial Size and Function by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance
An observational study of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance, run by Istituto Auxologico Italiano at 1 site in Italy.
Trial summary
Left atrial (LA) size and function are powerful prognostic markers in a variety of clinical conditions. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is considered the gold-standard to assess the volumes of heart chambers by contouring cavity borders at end-diastole and end-systole from a short-axis cine stack. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Cardiac Magnetic Resonance
- What is being tested?
- CMR scan
- How many people
- 200 participants
- Where
- 1 siteItaly
- Study dates
- 25 May 2021to 25 Aug 2025
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: Patients who undergo clinically indicated CMR
Who may be able to join
- Older than 18 years
- Clinically indicated CMR with diagnostic image quality
- Signed informed consent
Who cannot join
- Unwillingness to participate in the study
- Congenital heart disease
- Pregnancy or breast-feeding
- Any other contraindication to CMR study
- Heart transplantation
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Assessment of Left Atrial Size and Function by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance: the ALATRIUM Study
Left atrial (LA) size and function are powerful prognostic markers in a variety of clinical conditions. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is considered the gold-standard to assess the volumes of heart chambers by contouring cavity borders at end-diastole and end-systole from a short-axis cine stack. This method is routinely used to measure ventricular volumes and ejection fraction, but has never been implemented for LA volume measurements, due to the need of a significant lengthening of both CMR acquisition and post-processing times. Current CMR guidelines do not provide any specific recommendation on LA imaging in daily routine, and LA volume is usually evaluated by using the biplane area-length algorithm in standard cine long-axis images. Yet, the latter methodology implies geometric assumptions about the LA shape that are often not fulfilled in routine patients. Moreover, the standard long-axis views are oriented according to the major axis of the left ventricle (LV), which lies in a plane with a different spatial orientation compared with the LA. As a result, standard long-axis views optimized according to the maximal LV length commonly foreshorten the LA and therefore underestimate its size.
Accordingly, a previous echocardiographic study showed that long-axis views focused on the LA were more accurate to derive LA maximal volume vs. standard long-axis views.
Read more
Differently from echocardiography, CMR allows to orientate images during acquisition process with no dependency from acoustic windows. Capturing the true LA long-axis by focused imaging is therefore more feasible with CMR vs. two-dimensional echocardiography. Compared to current CMR practice, implementation of focused LA long-axis views might result in improved accuracy of LA volumes estimation with no significant delay on acquisition times (Figure).
LA dysfunction, as assessed by deformation analysis, is emerging as an early prognostic marker in several cardiac diseases. At present, standard long-axis cine images are used for CMR feature tracking (CMR-FT), which allows the assessment of atrial phasic functions. Of core importance, CMR-FT derived strain parameters [i.e., LA total strain (εs), conduit strain (εe), and booster strain (εa)] are sensible to plan orientation and might be affected by foreshortening.
Current CMR protocols use long-axis cine images oriented on the LV long axis and may systematically underestimate LA size and function. We hypothesize that LA-focused long-axis cine images at CMR are more accurate in estimating LA volumes and function than current practice.
- Conditions
- Cardiac Magnetic Resonance
- Being tested
- CMR scan
- Keywords
- Left atrium, Cardiac Magnetic Resonance
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
CMR scanDiagnostic test
CMR image acquisition and analysis of the left atrium
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Clinically indicated CMR | Patients who undergo clinically indicated CMR Receives: Diagnostic Test: CMR scan |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Left atrial volume - focused long-axis views
Left atrial volume obtained by focused long-axis imaging
Measured: Baseline
Left atrial volume - standard long axis views
Left atrial volume obtained by standard long-axis imaging
Measured: Baseline
Duration of acquisition of focused long-axis views of left atrium
Duration of acquisition of focused long-axis views of left atrium in minutes
Measured: Baseline
Longitudinal strain - focused long-axis views
CMR Feature Tracking (CMR-FT) strain obtained by focused long-axis imaging
Measured: Baseline
Longitudinal strain - standard long-axis views
CMR Feature Tracking (CMR-FT) strain obtained by standard long-axis imaging
Measured: Baseline
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted1 May 2026
- Study start25 May 2021
- Primary completion25 Aug 2025
- Study completion25 Aug 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Cardiac Magnetic ResonanceStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Istituto Auxologico ItalianoThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Istituto Auxologico Italiano
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07561151
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 09C124
- Acronym
- ALATRIUM
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 16 Apr 2026
- Last updated
- 1 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 1 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Assessment of Left Atrial Size and Function by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance: the ALATRIUM Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07561151
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- ALATRIUM / 09C124
- Conditions
- Cardiac Magnetic Resonance
- Keywords
- Left atrium, Cardiac Magnetic Resonance
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Istituto Auxologico ItalianoUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 25 May 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 25 Aug 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 25 Aug 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 1 May 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Left atrial (LA) size and function are powerful prognostic markers in a variety of clinical conditions. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is considered the gold-standard to assess the volumes of heart chambers by contouring cavity borders at end-diastole and end-systole from a short-axis cine stack. This method is routinely used to measure ventricular volumes and ejection fraction, but has never been implemented for LA volume measurements, due to the need of a significant lengthening of both CMR acquisition and post-processing times. Current CMR guidelines do not provide any specific recommendation on LA imaging in daily routine, and LA volume is usually evaluated by using the biplane area-length algorithm in standard cine long-axis images. Yet, the latter methodology implies geometric assumptions about the LA shape that are often not fulfilled in routine patients. Moreover, the standard long-axis views are oriented according to the major axis of the left ventricle (LV), which lies in a plane with a different spatial orientation compared with the LA. As a result, standard long-axis views optimized according to the maximal LV length commonly foreshorten the LA and therefore underestimate its size.
Accordingly, a previous echocardiographic study showed that long-axis views focused on the LA were more accurate to derive LA maximal volume vs. standard long-axis views.
Differently from echocardiography, CMR allows to orientate images during acquisition process with no dependency from acoustic windows. Capturing the true LA long-axis by focused imaging is therefore more feasible with CMR vs. two-dimensional echocardiography. Compared to current CMR practice, implementation of focused LA long-axis views might result in improved accuracy of LA volumes estimation with no significant delay on acquisition times (Figure).
LA dysfunction, as assessed by deformation analysis, is emerging as an early prognostic marker in several cardiac diseases. At present, standard long-axis cine images are used for CMR feature tracking (CMR-FT), which allows the assessment of atrial phasic functions. Of core importance, CMR-FT derived strain parameters [i.e., LA total strain (εs), conduit strain (εe), and booster strain (εa)] are sensible to plan orientation and might be affected by foreshortening.
Current CMR protocols use long-axis cine images oriented on the LV long axis and may systematically underestimate LA size and function. We hypothesize that LA-focused long-axis cine images at CMR are more accurate in estimating LA volumes and function than current practice.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Clinically indicated CMR | – | Diagnostic Test: CMR scanPatients who undergo clinically indicated CMR |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Patients who undergo clinically indicated CMR
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Older than 18 years
- Clinically indicated CMR with diagnostic image quality
- Signed informed consent
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Unwillingness to participate in the study
- Congenital heart disease
- Pregnancy or breast-feeding
- Any other contraindication to CMR study
- Heart transplantation
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| CMR scanCMR image acquisition and analysis of the left atrium | Diagnostic test | Clinically indicated CMR |
Primary outcome
Left atrial volume - focused long-axis views
Time frame: Baseline
Left atrial volume obtained by focused long-axis imaging
Left atrial volume - standard long axis views
Time frame: Baseline
Left atrial volume obtained by standard long-axis imaging
Duration of acquisition of focused long-axis views of left atrium
Time frame: Baseline
Duration of acquisition of focused long-axis views of left atrium in minutes
Longitudinal strain - focused long-axis views
Time frame: Baseline
CMR Feature Tracking (CMR-FT) strain obtained by focused long-axis imaging
Longitudinal strain - standard long-axis views
Time frame: Baseline
CMR Feature Tracking (CMR-FT) strain obtained by standard long-axis imaging
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 1 May 2026.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance, run by Istituto Auxologico Italiano at 1 site in Italy.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Italy. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Left atrial volume - focused long-axis views (time frame: Baseline). The study lists 5 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 1 May 2026.