Left Atrium
- Smaller than right atrium
- Location
- Inflow
- 4 Pulmonary veins drain into left atrium
- Two pulmonary veins enter on each side
- Outflow
- Left atrium empties into left ventricle
- Mitral valve permits flow of blood from left atrium to left ventricle.
- Heart margin
- Left atrium forms posterior margin of heart
- Left atrium posteriorly forms the base of
heart
- Left atrial appendage forms portion of left heart margin
- Relationship
- Left main bronchus superiorly
- Esophagus posteriorly
- Anterior to it lies the aortic root and
pulmonary trunk
- Appearance in
- CXR
- CT
- Echocardiogram
- Angiogram
