{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]],"date-time":"2026-08-13T19:35:31Z","timestamp":1786649731075,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,1]],"date-time":"2025-10-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1759276800000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["lww.com","ovid.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,10]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Atrial fibrillation can arise from a range of underlying mechanisms, including electrical triggers, structural remodeling, metabolic influences, and inflammatory substrates, each of which requires a tailored therapeutic strategy. Understanding the specific atrial substrate responsible for the arrhythmia is therefore essential to guide appropriate management. In this context, echocardiography serves not only as a diagnostic tool but also as a key decision-making instrument, enabling clinicians to noninvasively evaluate the structural, mechanical, and electrical properties of the left atrium. Parameters such as left atrial strain, conduction time (PA-tissue Doppler imaging), and left atrial volume index provide valuable insights into the extent of atrial remodeling and fibrosis, which directly influence therapeutic choices and expected outcomes. While the diagnostic role of echocardiography in atrial fibrillation is well recognized, its integration into therapeutic decision-making, particularly in guiding rhythm control strategies, remains underutilized. This case series aims to address that gap by illustrating how echocardiographic findings can inform the selection, timing, and modality of interventional versus conservative treatment. We present three patients with distinct clinical backgrounds: one with structurally normal atria, one with atrial remodeling due to epicardial adipose tissue infiltration, and one elderly patient with moderate substrate alteration, where comorbidities and minimal symptom burden led to a conservative management decision. Each case highlights how advanced echocardiographic assessment can support individualized treatment planning, from catheter ablation to optimal medical therapy, in alignment with precision medicine principles.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4103\/jcecho.jcecho_71_25","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,30]],"date-time":"2025-12-30T20:00:37Z","timestamp":1767124837000},"page":"403-409","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/lww.0000000000001000","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["One Size Does Not Fit All: Echocardiography as a Decision-making Tool in Atrial Fibrillation Management \u2013 A Case Series"],"prefix":"10.4103","volume":"35","author":[{"given":"Fulvio","family":"Cacciapuoti","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Cardiology, \u201cAntonio Cardarelli\u201d Hospital, Nola"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rossella","family":"Gottilla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Cardiology, \u201cAntonio Cardarelli\u201d Hospital, Nola"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ilaria","family":"Caso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cardiology, \u201cVincenzo Monaldi\u201d Hospital, Nola"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Salvatore","family":"Crispo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Cardiology, \u201cAntonio Cardarelli\u201d Hospital, Nola"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ciro","family":"Pirozzi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cardiology, Division of Arrhythmology, \u201cSanta Maria della Piet\u00e0\u201d Hospital, Nola"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fabio","family":"Minicucci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cardiology, \u201cSan Leonardo\u201d Hospital, Castellammare di Stabia, Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mario","family":"Volpicelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cardiology, Division of Arrhythmology, \u201cSanta Maria della Piet\u00e0\u201d Hospital, Nola"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"276","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"R1-20251231","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3314","DOI":"10.1093\/eurheartj\/ehae176","article-title":"2024 ESC guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation developed in collaboration with the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS)","volume":"45","author":"Van Gelder","year":"2024","journal-title":"Eur Heart J"},{"key":"R2-20251231","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1363","DOI":"10.1007\/s00380-022-02035-w","article-title":"Clinical value of the HATCH score for predicting adverse outcomes in patients with heart 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